Fly in the Web
by Lady Eden Death
Summary: He played the tune that took away her free will; the demon ensured she factored nicely into his plan. The spirit detective could only do so much to save her when he was the target to be eliminated. She wanted to live and she did not want to become a murderer. She prayed more than anything that someone could cut the puppeteer's threads. Hiei x OC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. This fic is dedicated to the special individual who requested it. (You know who you are)

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1. Pied Piper

Keri stretched her neck muscles as she continued to lounge against the tree's trunk. Her knees were drawn up to her chest as a means to provide a make-shift table for the book she was engrossed in. Staring at the crisp pages, a lone finger traveled along the words she read. Keri's dark hair spilled over her shoulders and blew lightly in the breeze. She dragged her teeth along her bottom lip, working the flesh a moment while narrowing her eyes. Inside of her shoes, her toes curled. A lump formed in her throat simultaneous to her eyebrows raising and her eyes widening.

Her entire body jumped at the sound of twig breaking. The book fell from her lap onto the grass. Keri gasped, snatched up the book and worked out the kinks that had formed. While doing so, she allowed her brown eyes to lift. Peeking out from under her bangs, Keri took in the sight before her. The male who had stepped upon the stick continued to stand there. He stared at her, his red eyes unblinking. Keri's brow furrowed-red? That wasn't normal.

She shyly tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear and averted her gaze; her parents had always taught her that it was rude to stare. In her peripheral vision, she could still see the man's indifferent expression. His eyes lingered on her for a moment more then their inspection seemed to end suddenly. He turned instead to the tree, and, seizing a branch with a single hand, pulled himself up.

_Okay. He seems a bit too old to be climbing into trees, but if that's what he's into,_ she thought, her hands working out the last crease from her book. A moment later, she adjusted the front of her shirt to ensure the man above her would not be able to peek down and catch a glimpse of cleavage. _I really hope he's not some kind of pervert._

With a half-shrug, Keri resumed her former position and poured into her book once more. She could not shake off how intense the current chapter was, and the writing was superb. For a full minute she forgot entirely of the man's presence above her. A murder had just taken place in the book. It was staged beautifully-the way the author described it allowed the picture to form so easily within her mind. The corpse strewn across the piano, the dead woman's fingertips touching the keys in a grotesque parody of choosing at which pitch she would scream.

"Oh, Hiei, I nearly forgot," a nearby voice said, startling Keri from her book. The owner of the voice was coming closer. She lifted her attention from her book to the red-headed boy that was coming over. She blinked several times. If it had not been for the fact that the boy had spoken, she might have originally mistaken him for a female. His attention fell from the man in the tree to her. "Hello."

Keri did not answer immediately. She took a breath, dipped her head in a greeting nod, and offered a somewhat quiet, "Hi." Keri flexed her legs so that she stood, ducked her head a bit, and gave a weak smile. "Excuse me."

The boy pivoted his waist as she walked past him. He stared after her for several seconds and then turned back to Hiei.

Keri was not quite out of earshot when the boy addressed the man in the tree once more. Her ears easily picked up their conversation. "Koenma has requested that we aid Yusuke in his next mission. Mostly it will require our keeping an eye, and providing support where needed."

_Huh._ Keri, tucking the book into her purse, felt the corner of her mouth twitch sideways. She knew her expression was one of both confusion and contemplation. _I wonder if it's a new videogame fad, or a role-playing group... I don't think I'm going to even try to understand boys._

The girl exited the park, her shoes making light noises on the sidewalk. The light breeze ruffled her hair, and she responded to this by adjusting her lightweight jacket. A woman pushing a stroller went by. She and Keri smiled at one another as their paths crossed, and then the girl continued on. She turned left onto a new street. The sakura trees that lined the street were allowing their petals to fall. Several landed on Keri's head, a few entangling in her hair.

She walked in the peaceful silence of the day. Turning right onto a third street, Keri cut across the front lawn of the modest house on the corner before turning her feet and jogging up to the porch. She opened the front door and entered the house. Keri headed straight for her room, closed the door behind herself, and moved to her bed. Once there, she set down her purse before diverting her attention to the desk that stood perpendicular to her bed. Keri sat down on the chair in front of the desk and stared at her homework, which was strewn across the desk top.

Keri lifted up the pencil then started on her translations. She knew her English was not as good as it should be at that point. Although she had been excelling in said class for the first half the school year, the previous two lessons had proved to be mind-boggling for her. She kept confusing half of her vocabulary words with one another.

After studying for twenty minutes and spending an additional fifteen completing her worksheets, Keri tucked away her English work into the class's folder. She stood from her desk and moved over to her bookcase. Her eyes landed on Michio Kaku's book, _The Physics of the Impossible_. She smiled fondly at it, and had to force herself to drag her attention elsewhere. Spotting the English edition of the first Harry Potter book, Keri set her hand along its spine and removed it from the shelf. Reading the book was proving to aid in her learning experience of the English language. There were several new words she had picked up as well, including 'witch', 'wizard', and 'wand'. She did not know where exactly that would come in handy, however she enjoyed it all the same.

Keri sat there, right in the middle of her floor, and opened to where she had last left off. Once more did her finger trail along the words on the page. Its tip became stained gray then black. She took little notice of this fact and persevered in her endeavor to master the English language whilst adventuring in the magical world of Hogwarts.

Feeling a light pinch at the base of her neck, close to her collarbone, Keri rubbed the sore area with the hand she had previously used to trace her reading path. She knitted her brow and looked down at the irritated area. She looked, too, at the palm of her hand. Strange; she could have sworn that she had felt something slither along her flesh a moment ago. Yet both her front and her hand were empty.

She shook her head and glanced back at her book. The words seemed to undulate under her gaze. Keri blinked, rubbed her eyes, and shifted her position-all to no avail. The foreign letters mixed and danced together, flowing into unintelligible garble.

_That's so...weird. I feel... I feel so lightheaded._ Keri's eyes widened when she realized that she had stood up during her thoughts. She could not remember having done so. When her foot moved forward, her mind raced. _I'm not controlling my body. I can't._

She tried to speak, to say something aloud, and found that she could not. Suddenly, Keri found that she was a prisoner in her own body. Only her mind seemed to function normally. She pictured herself laying down in her bed and curling up so that this strange sensation would go away; in reality, her body went forward and exited her room. She walked from her house, heading in the opposite direction of the park she had previously occupied. All the while she thought to herself, _What the hell is going on?_

Keri observed herself heading in the direction of the antique shop she had occasionally visited in the past. Rather than entering the building, however, her body moved elsewhere. Her feet carried her into the alleyway, where a queer looking man with a flute stood. He played the instrument, and the Pied Piper flashed through Keri's mind.

The man was dressed in an attire reminiscent of the rounin samurai of old. Initially his eyes had been closed when Keri had entered the alleyway. When he peeked up at her-an action that occurred in unison to him lowering the flute from his lips-she saw that his pupils were crosses. _That's impossible...all of this is impossible. What the hell is going on? Why can't I control my body?_ As the echoes of the music faded away, Keri lost her balance. Her body fell to a heap on the floor.

She shook, her fingers and toes twitching of _her_ will. At that realization, Keri's head snapped upwards. She stared at the strange man. Swallowing hard the saliva that had gathered in her mouth, Keri inched backwards with her hands and feet. She did not once turn away from the strange eyed man. A wry grin spread across his face and he blew a single note into the flute. Keri's body instantly tensed. She was frozen in place-and then moving, once more not of her free will. The outline of a small snake wavered in her view, appearing and disappearing in a matter of seconds.

"Don't try to fight it, little human," the strange man said in a silk-smooth voice. If Keri had to give it a comparison, she would have said snake-like. The words seemed to slither off of his tongue, which dipped out of his mouth and traced the contours of his lips. "It's pointless. I've got you. You will do as I say, or you will suffer for your disobedience."

Trembling lightly and still trying to wrap her mind around what was occurring, Keri released a deep breath. "W-who a-are...who are you?" Her eyes ran along the flute. _I need to get that away from him._ It was the one rational thought that consistently ran through her head.

Those lips of his, the ones skilled enough to play the flute, twisted into a grin that revealed his unnaturally sharp teeth. "That is not important, you little girl." He patted a tiny drum that was affixed to his side; Keri had not noticed it previously. Keri's hand reached forward, soon accepting the gun the man proffered with his free limb. "You and I, we're going hunting for the detective. He won't suspect a girl like you." He patted the drum twice more, which forced Keri to slip the gun into her bra. When he played the flute a second later, the girl felt her hands pull the zipper up on her jacket.

Several notes more and she was on her way to the alleyway's entrance. Even when she was out of earshot, Keri found that she could hear the music in the back of her head if she listened. The outline of the snake shimmered once more. This time she noticed that it slithered off of her, retreating back to where the strange man had remained.

_So...something bit me, I think. And, because of that, that guy is able to control me? This doesn't make any sense. I'm dreaming, right? I fell asleep reading Harry Potter, that must be it._

Yet everything continued to feel real even as the surreal experience of her body being manipulated by an unseen force transpired. Keri was steered in a direction she had never previously traversed. From a basic understanding of her surrounding neighborhood, she did know that several apartment buildings were in the direction she was headed. Taking into consideration what the snake-voiced man had said, Keri guessed that the target was someone who lived in one of those buildings. The gun felt like fire against her chest. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest.

_Oh, God. Somebody please stop me before he turns me into a murderer._

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I hope everyone is enjoying this so far. I'm open to critique and comments alike so long as they're productive. Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry this took so long to update. I had to look up some things about the piper and work out how his power works. Plus I had to have my friend help me with some of Keri's reactions. I hope you enjoy!

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2. Poltergeist Phenomenon

Keri's eyes traveled up the stairwell before her feet even met the surface of the first step. Her mind was continuing to race as the music, which echoed in her mind, dictated every movement she took. Due to the lack of control, Keri felt a sensation of vertigo as she rose higher and higher up the stairs. A large part of her wondered what sort of expression her face had; she had little feeling in it. More and more she felt as though she were being pushed off to the side. I feel like a stranger in my own body, she thought, except there's absolutely nothing I can control other than my thoughts. I wonder if this is what it'd feel like to be taken over by an alien.

Arriving on the desired landing, Keri turned, heading leftwards down the line of doors. She swore several times in her mind, correctly guessing that the target lived within feet from where she stood. _Please don't let this guy be home, please don't let him be home_, she prayed over and over. She wished that she could close her eyes, or even simply lose control over her sight for the time being. She did not want to watch herself kill someone else, much less be forced to commit the act.

In her mind, she envisioned herself trembling like a lone leaf on a breezy day. Realistically, Keri knew quite well that her body was not shuddering at all.

Several doors she walked by without the slightest hint of acknowledgement. Then, much to her dismay, her footfalls started to slow. She realized instantly that she was drawing near to the desired location. The pied piper, as she had come to call him, had obviously found his prey. Once more Keri found herself swearing in her mind, cursing the fact that she was unable to control her own movements.

All at once her body halted. Keri found it weird that she could feel the moment that her heels lifted off the ground and she turned by pivoting her weight. Her eyes, for the short few seconds she had control over them, scanned over the nameplate beside the door. The name Urameshi had warning bells ringing like police sirens. She could not place her finger on it right away, the reason why that name stuck out like a sore thumb. She did not know anybody by the name of Urameshi, so why then was she-it hit her all at once.

_Crap! Urameshi Yusuke. He's that street punk that everyone at school is talking about. One of those guys you want to stay away from...ohfuckmefuckme._

Her eyes would have bulged out of her skull had she had any control over them; her hand had grasped the door handle to the apartment and started to turn it.

_Just fuck me hard. I'm like a redshirt sent out to die!_ She imagined running her hands through her hair, digging her nails into her scalp.

Her heart, apparently the only part of her body that was cooperating with her thoughts, beat rapidly in connection with her inner turmoil. It did not slow in the least when the doorknob stopped suddenly, halted by the fact that it was locked from the inside. Likewise, her heart did not cease its racing when the music that was echoing in her head came to an abrupt stop. Her lips parted in a silent gasp. Keri gagged the next moment, finding herself thrown back into control of her own body whilst still grasping the handle that lead into the Urameshi residence.

Keri swayed for a moment, somewhat lightheaded, and then allowed her limb to fall away. She stood there, staring at the wooden surface, for what felt like an eternity but in reality was no more than four seconds. He isn't home, she told herself.

As if realizing at long last the depth of her control, the teenaged girl took several hesitant steps backwards. _I don't even know what Urameshi would have to do with the detective that piper was talking about. Unless...unless maybe the detective is currently seeking to arrest Urameshi for some heinous crime. That sounds logical enough, from what I've heard of Yusuke._

She shook her head, trying to erase all thoughts and instead switch her focus over to the fact that she was free to move as she pleased for the time being. Keri turned to make a hasty retreat, only to bump into something that felt both soft and hard at the same time. She and the "object" both released an 'oomph'. Taking a step back, Keri felt her eyes once again go wide at the sight of a woman.

"Uh...oh, I'm sorry," Keri said with a quick bow. The woman eyed her openly with an expression of consternation. "I didn't see you, I-"

"It's not often Yusuke has female visitors," the woman said. Keri cringed inwardly; all the while she thought, _This must be Yusuke's mother._ The woman's gaze slid to the door handle then back to Keri.

_Of course, of course. That fucking piper made me try to open the door like that. Now this woman is probably thinking I'm off my rocker. Quick, quick. Think, Keri. Keep calm. Figure out a way to escape._

Taking a deep breath as nonchalantly as she could, Keri forced a smile. "Sorry, I have the wrong apartment number."

The woman quirked a brow and opened her mouth to respond. Keri, however, had chosen to take that Nano-second of silence as a signal to make a hasty retreat. She walked past the woman at a brisk pace, heading for the stairs she had mounted mere minutes before. She continuously cursed the piper for leaving her in this situation, not to mention for the gun that still lay snug within her bra. If only she could turn herself into the police before she was forced to murder anyone, she thought.

Taking the steps two at a time allowed Keri to reach the bottom in no time flat. Her natural instincts led her to head homewards, however a drumming in her head instantly caused her entire body to freeze. This time, however, the music did not force her to relinquish all control; rather, she was steered and urged in the opposite direction. Keri could not decide which was worse; losing partial control or entire control.

The music is different this time, she noted as she was prodded in the direction of an old bakery. Indeed it was; the tune followed a percussion instrument rather than the flute she had heard previously. _Which means that his different instruments probably have different powers_. Keri frowned at the thought. This entire ordeal still seemed crazy and surreal to her.

As she walked, Keri recalled the strange man from the park that morning, and his abnormal red eyes. Maybe he was not even human, she thought. _Unless he's wearing contacts._ Her memory served up another train of thought. _Wait a minute. That other boy, the one who called the man Hiei...he mentioned something about Yusuke and a guy named Koenma...and a mission. But...Yusuke couldn't be a detective. I mean, with his reputation...could he?_

For a moment she once more wondered if she had fallen asleep; or perhaps she had simply entered the Twilight Zone. The latter would explain a lot of things that were occurring as of late.

She spotted a silver wisp in the corner of her eye, however before she received a chance to turn her head in its direction, it had faded. Keri mentally shrugged it off as a ray of light. The music in her head did not allow for her to stop walking at all. Each time, and there were only a few, she did try, her feet started to move on their own accord and she wound up feeling as though she had strained several of her leg muscles.

At the bakery, she was allowed to stop for only a total of seven seconds. In that time, the silver wisp appeared for a split second, a fraction of a foot farther from where it had been previously. _Great, just great. Being controlled by this guy is making me hallucinate. Hopefully it's just a short term effect; otherwise I'm going to be locked up in the nut house when this whole thing's over._

The beat picked up in tempo, and Keri started to walk past four stores prior to turning right at the corner. She headed down the sidewalk, carefully weaving her way between passersby to avoid any collision. All the same, a part of her would not have minded if she had crashed into someone, mostly as a means to possibly cause the gun to be revealed or fall to the ground. However, she knew that instead this could cause the gun to go off, which meant either she or someone else were likely to have a bullet run through them.

Disheartened by the likelihood of such an event, Keri allowed herself to give into the music for the time being. _So long as my hand doesn't start to reach for the gun, that is._ She wrinkled her nose at the thought. _If only I knew what this Yusuke looked like. Maybe I could warn him or something. Then again, if he's mixed up with weird stuff like this…things like people with red eyes, guys who imitate the pied piper, if he knows about that then maybe he has weird powers too. Wait, no. That's not very realistic. I'm pretty sure people would know if…well, there is that rumor about him being a demon or a monster or something. Then again, that mostly has to do with his strength since he can overpower a group of people._

Ultimately, she did not feel as though she were making any progress with her thoughts. Not a single idea presented itself that would aid her in escaping from the piper's control. Said control currently nudged her left at the intersection she had arrived at. She was taken off guard when her feet stopped at the base of a tree. Keri glanced up, turned her head several times to look around, and saw no one who resembled a middle-school student. What she did see, though, was the faint outline of an oval-like object. She squinted, peering into the smoky apparition harder. It seemed to take on more of a face-like shape then disappeared completely.

I've gone bonkers, she concluded as yet again the music resumed and led her away from the tree. _Every place this guy is making me stop at, I'm hallucinating. And that last one almost looked like a human face. Except…well, ectoplasm would look different, right? Sure, sure it would._

She had often entertained the possibility of ghosts existing in the world while growing up. Generally, however, she was under the assumption that, in accordance with popular belief, they could be captured on film instead of out-and-out being seen. Besides, she wondered, why would she be seeing the ghosts when no one else seemed to notice them? It was not as though she had any special powers; at least, she was pretty darned sure she would have noticed them before this point.

_Unless being able to see unnatural objects is a side-effect of being bitten by that snake from the piper._

This explanation did merit some logical thinking behind it. Also, it allowed her to come to a point where she could accept that what was happening to her was, in fact, reality. Not that that sat well in her stomach; rather, the acid within the organ churned and she felt nauseated. The gun is real, she thought with a wince. And I _really_ am going to be forced to murder someone if I can't figure a way out of this.

For a third time, the music faded away. Keri immediately noticed the silver wisp that time. Her eyes widened; this one distinctly had a human appearance. Albeit disjointed, the apparition was that of a human hand, a head, and feet. They weaved around a center point, which she assumed was the invisible torso.

Just as she was taking a step towards the ghost, four boys exited the shop that the apparition was in front of. The lead boy, who had orange hair, walked directly through the ghost, which caused two things to happen at once. First was that the ghost disappeared, while secondly the boy immediately froze up. The other three boys whispered amongst each other about the carrot-top's apparent psychic senses. This, naturally, caused Keri's eyes to widen a bit as she released a gasp.

_Oh crap. I mean, great—sure, sure. I've always wanted to see a ghost. But…well, it would make a lot more sense if I wasn't the only one who could see them. Granted, if this guy can sense them, then—_

Her thoughts were interrupted as the percussion beat, though faintly this time, resumed. Her feet took several sluggish steps past the orange-haired boy. Keri noticed that he was watching her, his expression one of curiosity. He narrowed his eyes directly before Keri lost sight of him; the piper had grasped full control over her body when she had walked two yards away from the group of boys.

It annoyed her immensely that she had been forced to leave the psychic boy's side. She had hoped, for those few seconds she had stood near him, that he would have sensed that something was wrong with her. That she was being controlled. Instead, she was pulled a block away from him by the piper, and any and all hope she had allowed herself to experience went out the window. That was until the sound of feet running behind her reached her ear.

Keri became dizzy instantly when she was allowed minor control over her body. She closed her eyes for two seconds then opened them slowly. This allowed her to orient herself somewhat. The girl glanced over her shoulder and saw that the boy was running to catch up with her. Another three seconds was all he needed. Reaching her side, the boy, his cheeks tinted pink, said:

"Back there…I…can you sense things too?"

_I don't think he's accustomed to talking with girls,_ Keri thought with a small smile. The boy, with his height and rugged looks, was intimidating for sure. However, she reasoned, he couldn't do much worse to her than what the piper was doing. "Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, her voice catching in her throat for a moment. She furrowed her brow; she had meant to ask for help. She tried again to request his assistance, but instead the words came out as: "Sense things?"

_What the hell is going on? Every time I try to bring up the piper, I am physically unable to do so. Is part of his power that he prevents me from being able to speak of him? This is bullshit!_

The boy jabbed his thumb in the direction the two had come from. "By the shop, you were able to sense the ghost."

"Er…" She looked around, noticed no one was staring in their direction, and then, very slowly, nodded. "I saw it?" Keri felt almost crazy for speaking the words out loud. This boy, however, seemed genuinely convinced they were both perfectly sane and able to see, or sense, ghosts.

"My name is Kuwabara Kazuma, but you can call me Kazuma," the orange-haired boy said. Keri smiled at the offer; it was rather kind of him to allow her such liberties when they hardly knew one another. "But…uh…could you stop walking for a moment?"

_I really wish I could,_ Keri thought to herself. She forced herself to slow, and immediately there was a strain in her legs that felt like a pulled muscle. Keri bit back the sensation of pain, hoping to gain something out of her conversation with the boy. "I'm Matsumoto Keri. You can call me Keri."

He nodded, looked at her moving feet, and adjusted his pace to keep up with her. Keri also glanced down at her feet, a feeling of guilt enveloping her. Once more she wished she could force herself to stop, or even explain to the boy that something strange was going on.

"Not to sound weird…" Kazuma paused, and Keri blinked a few times while she waited for him to continue. "There's something…strange about you."

_Yes, yes! Use that glorious critical thinking of yours! Use that beautiful brain! Please, please, __**please**__ figure out what's going on with me!_

Outwardly, Keri remained composed, mostly due to the music's effect. "Well, I've been told that I look like Samara—the American version of Sadako from Ringu." Keri nodded as she spoke, all the while thinking that if she kept the conversation in the direction of the paranormal then the boy might figure out something useful.

Kazuma's lips twisted upwards into a grin and he shook his head. "That's not what I mean." All the same, a chuckle escaped him. Keri smiled in return. A moment later, Kazuma's name clicked into place in her mind. _This guy's almost as notorious as Urameshi…but he seems so __**nice**__._ Keri started to round the next corner, which prompted Kazuma to reach forward and grasp her wrist. All at once, her feet stopped moving. She lost her balance for a moment, and Kazuma caught her with both hands. He helped her stand back up straight. Leaving a hand on her upper arm to help hold her steady, he asked, "Are you okay."

"Please don't let go of me," Keri said quickly before the words had a chance to be processed in her brain. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

_I can control my body if he's touching me…and every time I was near one of those ghosts, the piper's powers were weakened. Holy crap. Holy fucking crap. Now if I can just convince Kazuma to hold my hand for a while without seeming like a creeper, I might be able to get free from the piper._

She tried once more to speak of the piper to Kazuma. "It's a nice day." _That did not work. At all._ She mentally groaned, realizing that it was still useless to speak of the predicament she was in.

Kazuma started to pull back, eyeing her warily; however Keri quickly grasped his hand in hers and entwined their fingers. Kazuma's face flushed deeper. Keri fumbled for something to say, anything to keep this boy with her so that she did not lose control of her body to the piper. Swallowing hard, she tried the first thing that popped into her mind:

"I need help making the ghosts go away." Thinking on it, Keri realized the statement rung truer than she would have thought. She smiled widely at this and nodded, her eyes searching the boy's face hopefully.

Kazuma nodded almost instantly. "It's a man's duty to help a girl when she's in trouble!"

_I really __**don't**__ see how this guy has a bad reputation_, she thought to herself as her heart swelled with relief.

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To better explain how it works, reiki basically helps to weaken/cancel out the piper's yoki. However, since the snake bit her, there is always some of the piper's "power" in her veins, which is what is preventing her from speaking of him.

Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

I am very sorry this took so long to update. There have been several family emergencies, and I recently had a cold as well. I am going to be having a laparoscopic procedure on the thirteenth, but I'm hoping that doesn't damper my writing too much the following week. Hope you all enjoy!

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3. Bang, Bang, Darling

The pied piper, a demon by the name of Ryuji, stood within the dank basement of the small building he referred to as his temporary dwelling whilst in the human world. Before him was a medium cauldron, in which swirled a simmering concoction that alternated between a hue of green and an orange-tinged yellow. His companion, the snake that had bitten Keri, slithered 'round his feet. It ghosted over Ryuji's toes, and its tongue flickered out, tasting the air. As the reptile made its way upwards, spiraling around Ryuji's legs, the pied piper threw in a handful of dust-like particles into the mix. Vapor poured into the room, enveloping his feet. It rose on the slight breeze that filtered through the room, slithering upwards in a similar pattern to the snake that continued to weave itself up Ryuji's body.

He passed his hand over the lip of the cauldron then dipped his finger into the mixture. The liquid swirled around the single digit, pulsating and alternating color once more into a red tinged at the edges with the family orange. It shone in the dark room. Ryuji removed his hand from the cauldron. He moved over to the far side of the room, plucked up a wooden box, and returned to his former position. He flipped open the lid. Inside resided a pickled tongue and knuckle bones, both unwillingly donated by a human long ago. He sprinkled these in without a second glance before moving on to replace the box.

Ryuji allowed his fingers to trail along his various jars and containers that sat on shelves bolted to the wall. He narrowed his eyes, gaze focused on a jarred liver. This had come from a demon, he well remembered. Some weak thing whose feeble body had much resembled a young human. He plucked it of the shelf and threw its contents into the bubbling cauldron. At this the mixture settled with a fizz and a pop.

His snake had since managed its way up his shoulders. There it brushed the top of its head against Ryuji's cheek. The piper ignored the reptile in favor of stirring the liquid, which had at long last settled into the color sapphire.

Ryuji removed his flute from the folds of his clothes and dipped it into the liquid, lacing its surface with the potion. The instrument greedily absorbed the provided material as though its existence depended upon it. Its wooden surface shifted into brass steel. Ryuji did similarly with the drum that normally sat at his waist. The percussion tool drained the cauldron of a good third of its remaining fluids. Ryuji chuckled at this, his eyes narrowing the tiniest bit as he beheld his tools feeding on more power.

At long last did he pay the snake any attention, running the palm of his hand underneath the snake's lower jaw. The reptile moved along the piper's arm and lowered itself into the potion. Freed of the creature's weight, Ryuji removed a tiny vial in which crawled a beetle-like insect with a long, mosquito's nose. The demonic beetle fluttered its orange wings that were decorated with a death's head. Ryuji plucked off the cork that sealed the vial, and the beetle flew onto the back of his hand. There it peered down at the cauldron, from which the snake was slithering away in new skin.

With the aid of Ryuji's hand, the beetle plunged into the potion and immediately began absorbing the remainder of the cauldron's contents through its skin. The orange of its wings darkened into a red hue. One would easily mistake it for a lady bug if they did not catch sight of the black death's head.

"Please take care of this travesty," Ryuji whispered lowly to the beetle, which rose from the piper's fingers in response.

It buzzed quietly up the staircase and through the crack of the basement door. There it alighted higher until it flew out a window into the air outside. The demon beetle followed the tune of the piper's music, which was coming from the basement it had left behind—a flute's low and ominous wail. A light trace of yoki fluttered through the air in various directions, bouncing off various reiki that were present. The beetle first landed on a tree. Underneath sat the ghost of a young girl, who bunched her legs under her dress. Her large eyes peered up at the beetle. They sat there staring at one another for nigh a full minute before the beetle abandoned the ghost for better purchase.

A number of reiki signals caused the beetle to circle a set of buildings. It moved on when at last it was able to find the trail of yoki that danced to the piper's music. It followed the trail, which grew weaker in locations overcrowded with other spiritual activity. Several times it landed on different choice locations for rest.

Ultimately the beetle found its way to a pair of teenagers. The female had a death grip on the boy's arm. She held the insect's attention for only a minute. The male, however, garnered much attention from the bug. Around him Ryuji's yoki swirled weakly and all but dissipated by the time it was within an inch of his skin. The beetle fluttered its wings from its position on the building's roof then swooped down. It landed on the female's arm, and there it immediately dug its mosquito-like nose into her juicy flesh. Whilst it sucked up a minute amount of her blood, a trail of Ryuji's concoction drained into her punctured capillary and forced its way into her blood stream.

Keri jumped a bit at the piercing sensation that flowed through her arm. Her hand instinctively flew in that direction, slapping down on the beetle's back leg. Unbeknownst to her, it fluttered away to lick its wounds elsewhere.

She furrowed her brow, lifted her arm, and peered at the strange mark upon the surface of her skin. On her arm was a set of reddened dots that seemed to make up a skull. _What the heck sort of bug makes a mark like this? Maybe if it has strange teeth or several mouths…but still. Or is it just a coincidence? Maybe my skin is irritated from the bite._

Her grip on Kuwabara's arm had loosened somewhat as her mind wandered over the subject of the bite. Kuwabara jerked to a sudden stop a moment after Keri. He leaned to see what she was worrying over. This caused his arm to pull out of her grasp, although neither of the pair noticed the sudden loss of contact.

Drums. Keri heard them faintly but dismissed them, thinking that perhaps a car was going by with its speakers blaring. Slowly the noise grew louder, leading her to gain faith in her assumption. After all, the vehicle would need to near before it bypassed her and Kuwabara. She blinked at that thought, raised her head, and looked around at their surroundings. Sure enough, they were indeed the only two on the street. A moment later she did a double-take. Her mouth fell open in horror in unison with another increase in the music's volume. _When did I let go of him?_

Frantically, she screamed in her mind for him to leave her at once. When she attempted to verbalize these thoughts, however, Keri found that her voice no longer worked. Her stomach churned; the acid within felt as though it were boiling.

It was a horrible sensation of déjà vu that she experienced when her limbs began to move on their own. Keri inwardly winced as her arm raised and her hand slipped up her shirt. Kuwabara's eyes went wide. She could not exactly blame him; who knew what the hell was running through his mind at her actions. _Shit. I was so stupid to let him go like that. But…even when I was at least near him, my hands worked. Was it that bite? _She fingered the gun that was strapped to her by her bra. With three fingers, she plucked it out, and slowly slid it down her belly. All the while, Kuwabara remained completely oblivious to the danger he was in. _Oh god. Oh god, I'm going to kill him. The one guy who was fixing things. Who I thought I was safe with…and I'm going to kill him!_

Keri's thumb slid to the safety and released it. Kuwabara heard the click and his brow furrowed. He still did not know quite what was going on. All the same, he knew something was wrong—although Keri could not tell exactly how he knew. Perhaps it was her sudden change of personality. Maybe it was the fact that he had admitted to being able to sense things and that was what was occurring at that moment. Or, for all she knew, he knew well the various sounds of a gun—wasn't that in correlation to all the rumors?

Eyeing her warily, Kuwabara's hand shot forward and seized hold of her wrist. Keri winced at the pain. _Of __**course**__ I can still feel pain. Yet I can't do shit about it!_ She inwardly rooted for him until a thought occurred to her. _What if he thinks I'm in a rival gang? He's going to pummel me! Oh, holy fuck._ Her arm twitched and the muscle spasmed as the music continued to manipulate it forward. Her left arm flew towards the hem of her shirt, yet Kuwabara managed to catch that as well. His eyes were narrowed—with both suspicion and anger, Keri well knew.

Her knees bent and she leaned backwards, causing Kuwabara's grasp to falter for a fraction of a second. Yet that was all it took. In that time, the piper hand managed to force her wrist to twist the slightest bit. Holding the gun on its side, Keri felt her index finger slip onto the trigger and pull back. A resounding bang echoed through their ears. Her eyes widened upon noticing the boy in front of her starting to tremble. His legs were shaking and his teeth were grit together. Her mind screamed.

Kuwabara's right leg buckled, giving Keri, under the control of the pied piper, ample time to jerk her elbow upwards. His hold on her hand slipped further. As he tried to regain that grip, to strengthen it, her knee met his side, along which the bullet had grazed not more than six seconds previous. He released a slight yelp of pain. All the while, Keri had twisted her hand out of his and slammed the butt of the gun against the side of his head. Kuwabara fell over, rolled, and regained his footing. He clutched his side with his left hand.

"What the fuck is going on?" Inside her mind, Keri was overcome with relief and terror all at once. He was alive; she hadn't shot him anywhere vital, that was wonderful! Yet, was he going to kill her for this? Was she going to be forced to shoot him again? Egged on by the fact that he had received no answer, verbally or otherwise, Kuwabara shouted again. "What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy!? I thought you said you needed help!"

_Oh God, I do need help!_ She screamed in her head. _I do! Please just get the gun away from me before I'm forced to shoot at you again! Someone please just help me!_

Her arm adjusted its position, pointing the gun square at his chest. Kuwabara jumped to the side then lunged forward. He managed to catch Keri about her waist, knocking the both of them to the ground. The drumming in her mind only increased when the back of her head slammed against the cement. Black flashed before her eyes then red. She felt her arm moving on its own accord, to the beat of the piper's drum. It brought the weapon between their bodies. Kuwabara's hand was on her forearm and his other arm was pressing tight against her chest. She could feel her ribs and sternum protesting in response to the pressure. Yet she could do nothing. Her body was flashing all sorts of warning signs that it was in extreme pain. Keri could do absolutely _nothing_ to stop any of it.

Keri felt her hand twist the gun once more, her wrist pivoting until the shot was there. Once more was she forced to pull the trigger. Kuwabara had shifted to the side upon feeling the gun flesh with his gut. He groaned and coughed. Both of his sides screamed in pain, each having been assaulted by a bullet. The newest wound was deeper than the first, and Kuwabara knew to thank all his lucky stars that an organ had not been punctured. All the same, he could not staunch the bleeding. His elbow met the girl's shoulder, and the arm fell slack long enough for him to grip the weapon. He started to tug it away, only to meet resistance in the form of her opposite hand grasping the handle. Before he could so much as blink, her trigger finger had aided the gun in sending forth a third bullet.

His mind locked up at the feeling of a bullet tearing through his leg muscles. Having been in a dire amount of pain in the past—being something more than a normal human—Kuwabara found that he could momentarily fight his way past the pain. He took those few, precious seconds he had to twist the weapon upwards. Keri heard the snap, her mind blinded by red. In how many places her fingers had been broken, she could not say.

Despite this all, her body continued to move. _How long before it just plain shuts down?_ Keri asked herself through her tears, which were spilling down her cheeks in full. Pressure was applied to her broken finger as the piper made her stand up. She mentally screamed, feeling the agonizing pain that would normally have had her vomiting.

Keri's vision was blurred for several seconds, during which time she had kicked the hand in which Kuwabara held captive the gun. Her next blow was to his wounded leg. The boy cried out in pain, gathered his fists together, and slammed them against her shin. Keri fell to the ground once more. It was at that point that her vision swam into focus. She saw red on the sidewalk. It first occurred to her that the blood was from Kuwabara. A moment later she knew it was draining from her own mouth when a trail of spit, laced with the substance, dribbled onto the ground.

_This demon is going to kill me. My body can't take this. Doesn't he know that? He probably doesn't even care, but… Shit, shit, shit!_

She narrowly dodged Kuwabara's next attack, which would have been a kick to her face. He was staring at her with all signs of mistrust. "What the hell are you? You look human…you…_feel_ human."

Keri knew he was referring to what he was able to sense from her. _I __**am**__human,_ she shouted in her head. More tears streamed down her face. These caused Kuwabara's face to falter. His brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and his lips fell from the snarl into a frown.

He could barely stand, and Keri could see that easily. His wounded leg had hardly any weight placed on it. _If the piper makes me attack that side…I don't know which of us would die first. Him from all the blood loss, or me from… Who knows how much internal damage I have right now?_

The drumming within her mind weakened. With this came an increase in her pain. Her knees bent under the weight of the agony her body experienced. Yet all control had not been returned to her and so stand she did.

Something grazed her back. She could feel it moving along her spine, a quick movement that was followed by a thrust. The metal, smooth, that she had felt slipped through her. Keri felt her eyes widen and more blood dribbled out of the corners of her mouth. The slick sensation of a foreign substance running along her organs—yet not piercing them in the least—caused bile to at long last fill her throat. Simultaneous to the sword's removal from her body, Keri fell to her knees and vomited.

She sobbed, screamed, and retched in unison. Her broken finger had hit mercilessly against the cement. Through her tears, in her peripheral vision, she observed Kuwabara fall to a sitting position. He was winded, panting and staring at her with a mixture of emotions.

There was a flurry of movement. Footsteps moving closer to Kuwabara. Someone knelt down beside him. Keri rocked back and forth, swaying a bit. How she was still conscious with all the pain that was coursing through her, she could not for the life of her say. The drumming had finally ebbed

"You may need stitches," Keri heard a voice say to Kuwabara. She knit her brow. _Why is that voice familiar? Where have I heard it…before…_

She screeched aloud as all at once the little remainder of the drumming died. All the pain in her body came to her in full. Her scream echoed through the neighborhood, causing Kuwabara and the individual near him to jump. The man standing behind Keri blinked slowly a single time, lowering his gaze onto her hunched form. Shaking, she was vomiting up air, her empty stomach churning and twisting within her. Blood slipped freely from her mouth and the wound in her abdomen.

Whoever had been beside Kuwabara had abandoned him for the time being, opting instead to rush to Keri's side. She felt a hand on her brow. It felt inhuman to her clammy and sweat-filled skin.

_This isn't how I imagined myself dying,_ she thought to herself before her vision swam one final time. Her eyes rolled towards the back of her head, and she fell—only to have her unconscious form caught by the male at her side.

He was careful to avoid touching her wounds until he had wrapped a cloth. The bleeding, though still present, had lessened.

A fourth male came into the picture, a boy who was none other than Urameshi Yusuke. Had Keri been conscious, perhaps the drumming would have returned. As it was, he carried her body bridal-style while his companion, Kurama, aided Kuwabara in hopping. They were out of the area mere seconds before sirens filled the street; a response to the calls regarding gun shots.

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What a wonderful first impression on the reikai tantei, no? I felt sooo bad for doing that to Kuwabara. So much so that I feel like a horrible person. But! He shall heal. (This is how I sleep at night, by looking at "positive" sides to things.)


	4. Chapter 4

I do have severe endometriosis (almost lost my right ovary) and am getting injections to make my body go through false menopause. The other reasons for the delay in an update is that I wound up with tonsillitis and school this last week kept me pretty busy. Either way, hope you all enjoy!

-1-1-1-1-1-1-

4. Cooperative Captive

A low buzzing. That was the first sound that invaded her mind as she began to regain consciousness. Next came the sensation of a being parched; her tongue clung to the roof of her dry mouth. Keri furrowed her brow yet did not open her eyes immediately. Her head was spinning as it was—there was no need to add a vacuum of color to the disorder of her mind. Instead, she allowed herself a chance to listen to what was occurring around her. All the while, memories of what had transpired that day filtered into her brain one small detail at a time. The buzzing, she realized as she came to term with those memories, was a television set in another room.

_So, I'm not dead_, she thought while at last allowing her eyelids to lift. Light assaulted her despite her narrowed gaze, which she maintained until she was used to the brightness.

Shadowed movement caught her attention simultaneous to the moment she felt something cool touch her forehead. To her it felt as though a damp washcloth had been put there. The blurry movement happened yet again, and Keri's eyes opened wider. Sure enough, a boy—the red-headed boy from the park the previous day—was sitting at her side. His face was turned away from her, his eyes glued on a small jar that contained ointment. He dunked his fingers inside, seemingly unaware that Keri had awakened—and yet still she felt as though he was watching her.

His eyes flickered over her face then dropped down towards his fingers, which had been removed from the jar and were instead being placed on her…stomach. Keri's eyes were wide as saucers, her face beat red, and the slightest of squeaks emitted from her. She jerked upwards—only to feel the sharp sensations of pain. Her body seemed to lock up on its own, every one of her muscles tightening. Keri grit her teeth and closed her eyes.

"Relax," the boy beside her said, his voice soft yet full of suspicious and warning.

_This is just great,_ Keri said without opening her eyes. She fought down the urge to scream—who knew where she was? _I tried to shoot Kuwabara and now his yakuza cohorts are going to do who knows what to me!_

Her stomach fluttered when the boy pressed his ointment-coated fingers against her flesh. A tingling sensation spread through her. It grew in strength the more the boy rubbed. _Feels like…my stomach's 'asleep'._

She moved her hand to touch her stomach—and furrowed her brow. She _tried_ once more to move her right hand before feeling something tighten around her wrists. Keri once more allowed her eyes to open and directed her gaze at her wrists, which were indeed bound together by some sort of…plant. _Hello again, Twilight Zone_. On that note, she looked over her entire body. Keri was not quite so surprised to find that her ankles were likewise bound. _This is just perfect_.

In her peripheral vision, she noticed that the boy was watching her. He had lathered more of the ointment onto her stomach, however she barely felt it. No surprise there either; she had managed to gather that it was some sort of numbing agent.

"You are…rather quiet for someone in your position," he said. Keri blinked at him, unsure of how to react. "You're acting quite different from when you attacked Kuwabara…" With that, he released a thoughtful hum.

Keri took a deep breath, told herself it was now or never, and said her first words to the mysterious boy: "I really have to pee."

She did not miss the moment his lips twitched—he had successfully fought off an amused smile, but not quick enough. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, slowly aided her in sitting up—Keri winced several times from the pain of her internal injuries—and then waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. The plants about her ankles slithered away, and Keri was reminded of a snake. That, naturally, led her to the thoughts of the Piper. She winced at the memory, wishing more than ever that she could verbalize his existence.

The red-head picked up Keri's shirt from the edge of the bed. She felt her face flush. All the same, she bit back any retort she might have had. It was obvious that he was planning to give back the article of clothing. Angering him in any manner might cause that to change quickly.

Somewhat frustrated at the state of things, Keri allowed herself to be led to the bathroom by the boy who could control plants. Her mind tried to rationalize this turn of events, yet somehow Keri found that she was not at all surprised that such things could happen anymore. Instead she could only hope that they could somehow help free her of the Piper—if they would want to have any sort of non-hostile relationship, that was. Her attack on Kuwabara was still a sore subject, that much was obvious.

_Not that I can blame them,_ she thought as the boy opened the bathroom door for her. _I'd probably feel the same way if it were me. Although…_

"Uhm…now…you're _not_ going in there with me, are you?" A heavy blush had settled on her cheeks. Keri was fighting off the fact that she was beginning to feel mortified. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to trust her, let alone give her a chance to escape through the bathroom window—even though there wasn't one. _Huh. Maybe he will let me go alone?_

The red-head cocked his head to the side and observed her for several seconds. Keri shifted from one leg to the next, bounced on her heels, and at last started to cross her legs. Never in her life had she had to urinate quite this badly. She silently prayed that she would not wet her pants while this boy continued to keep her wrists captive with his plants.

"You have one minute," he said. Once again she could not read the tone in his voice—not that she cared at that point. No sooner had the last of her restraints been removed and her shirt been shoved into her hands, Keri had flung herself into the bathroom (albeit, not without hissing in pain and cursing aloud) and slammed the door, nearly hitting him in the face. She pulled her shirt over her head and lowered it. Although she relished in the fact that her dignity had been somewhat mended, she couldn't ignore the discomfort the material brought when it rubbed against her wounds.

From outside the bathroom, Keri heard him speak to her. "You do not seem like the kind of individual who would attack Kuwabara unprovoked. From what he explained, you had seemed troubled. So…why _did_ you attack him?"

_Is he seriously trying to talk to me while I pee? Holy crap this is awkward. What a freak!_ Keri's eyes darted all around the room. _Can he hear me pee right now? Should I talk loud so that he can hear my voice instead? Oh God, my stomach feels like it has butterflies in it. This is beyond weird._

"I didn't do anything!" she said, half yelling so that all other sounds from within the bathroom were drowned out. _Huh. That worked. Yet, I bet you if I tried to mention the Piper, I wouldn't get a single legit word out._ All the same, she could not pass up the chance to try. "People just pass you by randomly on the street."

_Yup. That doesn't sound a thing like 'I'm being possessed by a Piper'. At this rate, he might start thinking I'm schizophrenic or something. Maybe that I have dissociative identity disorder. Something along those lines._

Her eyes were glued to the ceiling as she finished up her business in the bathroom. Emerging into the hallway once more, Keri was greeted with the sight of the boy staring at the wall opposite from the one he was leaning against. He had a dazed expression, like one might possess when deep in thought. Keri tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, which caused him to rouse from his state. He eyed her wrists, tapped a finger against the vines in his hand, and then asked:

"Do I need to bind you, or will you cooperate?"

_I am not quite sure how to answer that, actually. It all depends on your plans._ Despite those thoughts, Keri said softly, "Sure, I'll cooperate."

He seemed satisfied with that response and, with a gesture towards the way they had come, led her down the hall to the room. Keri did not protest in the least when he aided her in sitting on the bed. Her back was against the wall. From that position she was at long last able to get a decent look at her surroundings. Kuwabara was lounging on the floor. He was shirtless and his wounds were lathered in the ointment that the red-head had previously placed onto her injuries. Standing above Kuwabara was a familiar sight; she recognized him only from descriptions others had given out of fear. Urameshi Yusuke, a well-known thug of a delinquent.

_Oh crap. I'm doubly screwed if they're in cahoots._ She grit her teeth together, fighting off a squeak built of frustration and fear.

The red-head boy was mixing liquid in a cup, along with herbs. The concoction steamed. _It's probably a tea of sorts._ As she thought this, her eyes fell on the final individual in the room. Another male, not that she was surprised. What did startle her, however, was his identity. It was the strange guy from the tree she had seen earlier that morning. At that moment in time he was standing in the corner of the room, his eyes focused on something out the window.

Keri focused once more on the boy who had been so helpful when he sat on the edge of the bed and handed her the tea, mentioning that it would help her with the pain. "Uh, thank you…uh…"

"Kurama," he said softly, his eyes never once leaving her face.

She nodded. "Yeah, uhm, Kurama. Look…not that I'm ungrateful you saved me, and I'm really glad I'm not in jail or anything…but shouldn't I be in the hospital? I got stabbed with a…sword?" Kurama blinked, glanced back at his comrades, and then returned his attention to Keri, who had had a few moments to think more on that final note. "Wait…was it sterilized? Am I going to get an infection?"

Simultaneous to the moment Kurama's lips twisted into a small smile, Keri thought: _Of course it wasn't sterilized. Who the hell goes around cleaning and sterilizing their sword every day? For that matter…_

"Who the hell goes around carrying a sword in the first place?"

She heard a rather masculine scoff or huff from the direction of the window. Keri turned her head in that direction. The man from the tree was watching her reflection in the window. A few seconds later he averted his gaze, seemingly finding something else of interest. _Well, I guess that answers _that_ question._

"Because obviously people would rather carry around guns, huh?" Keri jumped at the sound of Yusuke's voice, of the accusatory question posed in her direction. She stared into her lap, not able to bring herself to face him. There was no argument she could think of—at least, not one that she could voice. It was not as though she had _wanted_ to use the gun, much less carry it. "Although, I think guns are better than swords anyhow."

"That's because you don't know how to fight like a _real _man!" Kuwabara said.

Just as Keri turned her attention to the squabble that proceeded from there, Kurama moved into her line of vision, blocking out the scene. "You are…quite inquisitive given the circumstances. You have acted as though you're willing to cooperate yet have not revealed anything pointing to your innocence. Nor have you given us a reason to trust you." Keri was screaming inside her head, wanting more than anything to do just that, to give them a reason to trust her, to reveal _everything_ about the Piper. "It is also worth noting that your actions and body language are vastly different from when you attacked Kuwabara despite the fact that you seem aware of the fact that you did indeed attack him. Which leads me to believe…" Her bottom lip was trembling, her heart beating faster than ever. "…there is a specific reason why you will not reveal certain information."

Keri nodded. "I guess it's something like that. Not quite a will not, you know?"

"You mean that you _cannot_?" Kurama asked, his brow furrowed. Yusuke and Kuwabara broke up from their activities, their attention pulled towards the conversation at hand. The man from the tree, likewise, had started watching Keri via her reflection in the window once more.

_This guy has great deductive reasoning skills. Maybe he can figure out enough to help me? Oh man, I only hope so!_

"What are you…like, possessed or something?" Kuwabara asked from his spot on the floor.

Kurama's eyes widened before Keri could even say anything. "Yes," he said for her. Keri felt her heart skip a beat and her stomach flutter with joy. Someone had finally figured out what was going on, even if it was only a small portion of the bigger picture. Still, it was a great starting place if she was to receive any help whatsoever.

"Well, _that_ does explain why she'd want to hold Kuwabara's hand."

"Shove it, Urameshi!" Kuwabara squawked from his spot on the floor. He tried to lunge for Yusuke, but instead winced and gripped at his injuries. Keri eyed him as guilt swelled up in her. Even if she had been possessed, it was still her finger that had pulled the trigger.

"Hn." That single syllable drew Keri's attention away from the man she had shot and directed it towards the window. The man from the tree shot her a quick glance through narrowed eyes. It was something dismissive, as though she were nothing. "I have better things to do than sit around here and babysit."

That said, the man headed towards the door and exited the room. Kurama sighed, rose from the bed, and looked straight at Keri. "Drink that. It'll help with the pain. It works as a numbing agent, so do not worry if your throat feels strange as well—you won't choke to death." With those words as parting, Kurama moved after the man.

Kurama had no sooner left the room than everyone could hear the front door opening. Yusuke scowled and rushed towards the front of the house as well. "Hopefully that's Hiei and not mom," Keri heard him grumble.

The voices of the three boys that had just left the room were soft, hardly audible. Keri allowed her gaze to travel over to Kuwabara. She immediately dropped her eyes to her lap. The orange-haired boy was staring over at her. His bandaged leg was propped up on the pillow. He seemed so relaxed when taken into consideration all he had gone through. _Must be some strong herbal remedies. Or maybe they slipped in some vicodin or morphine?_ Keri took a sip of her own tea.

She focused on breathing for the time being, still attempting to gather herself under control. She could not stop thinking about the possibilities that she could at last be saved from the Piper. Her thoughts were interrupted when Kuwabara cleared his throat. Keri peeked up at him from under her bangs.

"Don't mind Hiei," he said softly.

Again did Keri wince. She did not know quite why Kuwabara was continuing to be nice to her. Granted, the group _had_ come to the consensus that she was under someone else's influence. Yet all the same, she had shot at him for Pete's sake! Not once, not even twice, but a total of three times! Keri could not quite meet his gaze.

His voice flowed through the room once more. "I'm serious. He's always grumpy…don't know why."

"Well," Keri began weakly before she realized that she was talking aloud, "he could have a dopamine or serotonin deficiency. If the body's chemical levels aren't balancing properly, it could easily lead to increased instances of irritability, angry outbursts..."

Her voice trailed off and a light blush had spread across her cheeks. Even without looking at Kuwabara, she knew that he was giving her a look of confusion. She had heard him tense up against the pillows on the floor when she had started talking. _Should have used simpler terminology,_ she mentally berated herself. Keri closed her eyes as she adjusted herself against the wall. Her back and gut still felt as though they were on fire despite the amount of ointment Kurama had spread over them. The herbal tea, which had aided in quenching the flames of pain throughout the rest of her body, had hardly diluted the pain of her stab wound. She allowed a brief glance at her finger splint then raised her gaze to Kuwabara.

The teenage boy was staring at her with an expression that contained both admiration and confusion. "You're pretty smart. How'd someone like you wind up someone's puppet?"

_Isn't it always the same when it comes to opportunistic offenders? The victim—me—was at the wrong place at the wrong time._

She said nothing aloud, opting instead to shrug. Her mind was suddenly preoccupied with a chain of thoughts stemming from the previous one.

_But what if the Piper isn't an opportunistic sort of guy? What if he is a preferential offender? He obviously targeted me specifically, which means there is something about me that he needs. Does it have to do with the fact that I could see traces of ghosts? Even if it was a latent ability before, his tampering with my body could have brought that out…maybe._

She shuddered at the thought that something within her specifically had drawn the Piper. Because, she realized, if that was the case then the Piper was not going to release her so easily. Not without a fight would she escape his clutches.

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And with that Keri has hopefully started on the right track to gaining friends out the reikai tantei. We'll see if it all works!


	5. Chapter 5

5. Expert Exorcism

Keri released a breath she had been holding for quite some time. A dull aching filled her. She bit down on her bottom lip and said nothing as Kurama applied more ointment. A mere fifteen minutes previous she had called her parents so that they knew she was safe. A part of her regretted the lie she had had to tell them, that she was out studying with friends. The less they knew at this point, however, the better. There was _no way_ she was about to delve into a conversation regarding the fact that she had fired a gun at someone.

Subsequent to the call placed to her parents, Keri had contacted one of her friends and given minute details; just enough for her friend to agree to back up her story should Keri's mother or father call over. "We are still discussing future courses of action that need to be taken," Kurama said while screwing the lid onto the ointment jar, "considering we cannot allow you to be left alone."

"Yeah…" Keri said, her voice trailing off for a moment. She tilted her head to the side, lifting her eyes to peek up at Kurama as she moved aside her bangs, which had fallen in her way. "I was thinking about that too." She winced once more, all the while her hands pushed down her shirt to cover her bruised abdomen.

Blinking a single time, Kurama stared at Keri for a few moments in the silence that fell between them. The pair of teenagers were deep in thought, each mulling over different scenarios to make life work. The Piper's hold on her made things difficult; after all, the reikai tantei consisted of males, excluding Genkai. Kurama's eyes narrowed a fraction at that fact. Unfortunately, he thought to himself, there were not many ways in which Genkai could be inserted into Keri's life without bringing unwanted attention from her parents.

Keri, meanwhile, allowed her mind to wander over other possibilities. "None of you... happen to have any siblings, do you?" she said after a time. She ducked her head a bit when Kurama's eyes wandered about her face. "Uh. Okay, maybe that could be suspicious, me trying to find out more about you guys. But it's for a legitimate reason, I promise." Keri moved her hands as she spoke, gesturing here and there at invisible things. Kurama, however, easily followed the message.

"I see!" he said, perking up the slightest bit. "You mean to ask if one of us has a sister. That's correct, yes?"

Keri's chest deflated some as she released a sigh of relief. It was definitely easier to get things done when you conversed with someone intelligent enough to follow your train of thought. "Yeah. I mean, it'd be best if she was around my age, but either way... A sleepover. Then you guys could still technically keep an eye on me."

"I must say, Keri," Kurama began, "you are by far the easiest hostage I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

"Uhm...thank you?" Her brow furrowed a bit. _I want to make sure I don't hurt my family...or anyone else, for that matter. Why wouldn't I be cooperating like this? I wonder if he still suspects me of having ulterior motives._

Kurama looked over his shoulder towards the door. He seemed to be listening to something, Keri decided as she observed the slightest alterations in his facial expressions. He reminded her something of a canine. In fact, she could almost picture his ears standing up as he listened in on...whatever it was that held his attention.

Keri's eyes dropped to her stomach. How she would ever explain her current condition to her parents, she hadn't the slightest. Her fingers gently trailed along the edges of her shirt, all the while she was careful to not put any pressure on her wounds. Keri's attention was diverted from her injuries only when Kurama turned back to her and cleared his throat. She looked up at him as he started to speak:

"Kuwabara does have a sister..." As his voice trailed off, Keri found that she was ready to facepalm. Fate _would_ make it to where the boy who she had shot had the sister they needed to make this plan work. Kurama, his lips twitching as he fought back a smile while watching the girl, continued. "She is a few years older, however I believe the plan would still work."

"Uh, I hadn't actually told you the _entire_ plan," Keri said, her eyebrows rising the slightest bit. At Kurama's confused expression, she carefully elaborated. "It'd be weird if I had a sleepover with a random girl I just met. So I was going to call one of my friends and... Well, a group sleepover. More realistic."

Kurama nodded, verbally agreeing that it was indeed a more realistic approach. The only issue, the two teens agreed, lay in the location. It was necessary that the reikai tantei be near enough to prevent the other party from regaining control over Keri. After some debate, they also came to the agreement that it would be strange for the three girls to spend the night at the Kuwabara residence. Keri tapped a finger against her lip for several moments before shrugging.

"Why not do a camping thing?" she said, raising a single hand, palm up as though she were placing the location on display.

-1- Twenty Minutes Later -1-

After placing a second phone call, Keri had managed to convince her friend to go along with their camping trip idea. She had promised to fill her in on all the details-or at least, as much as she could-once they met up. It had admittedly taken a few minutes of extra convincing to get her to come to Urameshi Yusuke's apartment; not that Keri told her whose apartment it really was. Kurama had helped Keri from the bed and into the living room, where everyone, including Shizuru who had arrived a few minutes previous, was waiting.

There soon came a rapping on the door. Everyone in the room blinked, except for Keri who smiled fondly at her friend's antics. Two quick knocks, three small, three loud bangings on the door.

"Keri-kuma!" a voice shouted. "You better be in there! Crap... I probably got the wrong apartment number. What if she's not in there? What if... what if there's a _pervert_ in there!"

Several pairs of eyes widened while Keri excused herself to get the door. Twisting the handle, Keri soon revealed standing on the other side a light-haired girl with thin-framed, rectangle glasses. Her hair was gathered up in a high ponytail, and her face was halfway buried in her hands. She peeked through her fingers up at Keri, and perked up at the sight of her friend. Then, taking in Keri's features, she frowned.

"You look like you got beat up," the girl said, narrowing her eyes slightly. Keri smiled a bit, nervously waved off the comment, and then moved aside to let her friend in. The light-haired girl walked into the apartment then stopped short upon seeing several people staring at her. She took a deep breath, held it, then exhaled slowly. "Okay... Explanation."

After leading her friend to the couch to sit down, Keri and Kuwabara spent the better part of ten minutes trying to fill both Shizuru and Keri's friend in on what had occured. Once the explanation was through, Yusuke, his chin resting on his hand, asked Keri's friend:

"What the hell's your name anyhow?"

"Gan Rei."

"Wait...like Reigun?" Kuwabara asked, blinking.

Rei's nose wrinkled a bit. "No. Like 'Gan Rei'." Shaking her head she turned back to Keri. "So you're sure you're possessed?" Keri nodded slowly, somewhat certain as to what was going to come next. "Why didn't you tell me to begin with? I can perform an exorcism! Now, where are all the candles in this house?"

"I don't...think you're qualified to perform an exorcism," Kurama said slowly, not quite sure how to approach the situation.

Rei waved him off. "My family runs a shrine. And my Keri-kuma is in trouble!" She held a fist up in the air, dramatically continuing, "It is my sworn duty as her best friend to defeat the demon that is inside of her! Never will this vile creature control her again! I will vanquish the beast and restore my Keri-kuma to her glory!"

That having been said, she moved off to find some candles. Much to Kurama's dismay, Yusuke got off the couch to assist her, obviously interested to see how things would turn out. Keri remained behind, shaking her head slowly and apologizing for her friend's eccentric behavior.

"She means well," Keri said, her eyes darting back and forth from the hall to Kurama. Occasionally they slid to Hiei, who had rejoined the group, although he remained by the window.

Quiet descended on the room for several seconds, although in the background it was easy to hear both Yusuke and Rei rummaging through drawers and cupboards. Keri winced a few times while she adjusted herself on the couch. Kurama left the room momentarily and returned with a cup of remedial tea for her. She thanked him then proceeded to blow on the steaming cup. A sudden movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to tense. Kuwabara and Kurama looked towards Hiei, whose hand appeared to be gripping something.

"What was that?" Kurama asked, taking a step closer to Hiei. The shorter male walked closer to the group and held out his hand. He uncurled his fingers and displayed what had been held captive in them; a squashed bug.

Keri's eyes widened as she took in the sight. "That's..." It was the same bug that had bitten her earlier, although what came out of her lips was jarbled nonsense. Further proof that she was still unable to speak about the Piper.

Hiei and Kurama met one another's eyes. "You...recognize this bug?" the latter asked. Keri nodded in response, not trusting her vocal cords to obey. "It's a ningyofurai."

"Ningyo...furai...?" Keri knitted her brow, her mind commiting the term to memory.

Kurama nodded. "Yes. A ningyofurai is used to help with possessions..."

"Huh...didn't you say you were bitten by something before you shot at me?" Kuwabara asked. Keri looked at him, nodded once, and then allowed her gaze to drop once more to the squashed bug.

"Wow, Hiei..you killed it for her," Kuwabara said. Hiei averted his gaze from the group whilst grumbling out a 'tch'. Keri's face flushed lightly at the implication of those words but tried to dismiss them. Her mind, however, had other ideas; he wasn't unattractive, after all...

_Shut up, _Keri said, cursing herself in her head. _I have more important things to worry about right now. Checking out guys isn't one of them._

At that moment, Rei and Yusuke burst back into the room. Keri jumped, startled by the loud thunk of candles being dropped onto the floor. Both Keri and Rei looked at Yusuke, each girl obviously confused as to why he had believed that action to be a logical idea. Half the candles that had previously been cradled in his arms were broken in half.

"Those better still work," Rei said ominously. All the while, she was winding a band about her head. Keri noted that her friend had used bedsheets as robes. Her eyes then soaked in other details regarding Rei's preparations for the exorcism. Candles, check. Matches to light them, also a check. Rope to bind her down, gulp and a check. Knife for... Her eyes widened. Rei, noticing her friend's worried expression, shook her head. "Don't worry. This is only for in case the demon makes its appearance. Then I'm going to stab it... There's nothing worse than a demon. Well...other than foxes."

Rei adjusted her glasses prior to setting to work with arranging all the candles in a circular pattern. Keri, upon Rei's request, sat down in the middle of the circle. She allowed her friend to tie her up, although Kurama came to assist after Rei had accidentally brushed too hard against Keri's injuries. Whilst apologizing profusely, Rei placed atop Keri's head a crown made out of paperclips. Attached to every third paperclip was a seal, renouncing the demon's powers over Keri.

_I really don't think this is going to work,_ Keri told herself, thinking about how illogical half of the ceremony seemed. _But if it does, I'll be...beyond thankful. In fact, yes, please let this work!_

Rei swiped a match against the matchbox then proceeded to light the candles around Keri. She moved carefully, ensuring that not a single one of the candles were knocked over. Shizuru shifted uncomfortably on the couch while Kuwabara and Yusuke watched the girls intently. Kurama continued to aid Rei where he could, ever certain that if he failed to do so the whole apartment would go up in flames. Hiei, even, was focused to the scene. Humans could be so stupid, so...abnormal. His gaze was drawn to the crown atop Keri's head. The seals fluttered a few times at the light breeze kicked up by Rei and Kurama's movements.

Through with the preparations, Rei shooed Kurama off several feet behind her. Next she stepped into the circle of candles with Keri. The two girls smiled at one another, Rei's grin a confident one and Keri's less certain. The lighter-haired female picked up the knife, set it in her lap, and put her hands together, palms touching one another and fingers pointed toward the ceiling. She bowed her head, closed her eyes, and knitted her brow.

Keri's pulse quickened at the sight. She swallowed hard against the growing lump in her throat and continued to pray that this would work. A small scream erupted from her throat when Rei jumped up suddenly, pointed the knife at her face and shouted:

"For her will is as strong as yours and her kingdom has great: Demon, you have no power over Keri!"

Keri winced as the palm of Rei's free hand smacked into her head. Attached to her forehead was another seal. Keri lifted a hand to touch the sheet of paper and rub the sore area. She frowned, knowing full well that the exorcism had not worked. Rei, looking crestfallen, crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

"There are other mystical energies about in this room," Rei stated after half a second of silence. "We must expel them first. Then we can tend to you."

_I don't think I'm going to be able to survive this camping trip,_ Keri thought, drinking more of the soothing tea Kurama had previously provided.


	6. Chapter 6

I wrote this up super quick because I felt really bad about the near-five month period between updates before. So sorry. Life has been crazy and I've been trying to cope with the fact that my uncle is dying of cancer and I may never get to see him again. Trying to keep busy, so hopefully writing will help me do so. Thank you so much for sticking around with me.

-1-1-1-1-1-

6. Foxhunt

Keri was quite thankful indeed to catch a breath after the failed exorcism. She sipped her tea simultaneous to keeping an eye on Rei, who was going about the room looking under pillows, in cupboards, and searching various other objects in the apartment. Yusuke and Kuwabara had taken a break to grab snacks from the kitchen, and Shizuru had stepped out for a cigarette. Hiei had once more taken his place by the window, although now his eyes were glued to the room's reflection on the surface. Kurama, meanwhile, watched the candles, which Rei had refused to allow him to blow out.

"What are you looking for anyway?" Keri asked, lifting the cup to eye level so that she could look at the beautiful flower design painted on its surface.

Huffing, Rei rejoined her in the room. She placed one hand on her hip and gestured with her other hand, in which the knife remained, at the air. "There's only one thing that could cause that exorcism to fail."

Keri cocked her head to the side. "And that is...?"

"A goddamn fox," Rei stated matter-of-factly, her eyes narrowing at the final word. Kurama tensed, a fact which both girls noticed. Keri glanced down at her tea, thought of how proficient the boy was with herbs, and then shook her head. It couldn't be, she told herself. It just plain couldn't.

Shuddering, Rei inched her way into the kitchen. Keri watched in amusement as her friend rummaged through Yusuke's fridge until she was able to get a piece of chicken. Carrying that in her hand, she shut the door with her foot and then returned to Keri's side. She placed the meat in the center of the circle of candles. Rei then proceeded to aid Keri in moving out from the circle and onto the couch. She propped several pillows around her injured friend until Keri was able to assure her that she was comfortable.

Returning to the task at hand, Rei asked for Yusuke's assistance for a moment. Keri observed once more the two teenagers leaving the room together. She relaxed against the back of the couch, waiting only a little before they returned. Keri practically balked at the sight of Rei setting up a dozen mousetraps around the piece of chicken that she had taken from the fridge.

"Now," Rei said, standing near Keri when she was finished, "we get the fox to come out... I'll stab him... and then you clean up the mess-I will not touch that vile creature. And after that, we can perform your exorcism again." She nodded to herself, seemingly proud of her plan.

Keri stared at the make-shift trap for a bit. When nothing happened after five seconds, she said, "You really think it's going to come for the chicken?"

"Foxes love chicken, Keri-kuma," Rei deadpanned. Another few seconds elapsed. "And pretty girls. They like pretty girls." She looked at Keri over her shoulder. "I should have kept you in there too."

"Gee, thanks," Keri said, rolling her eyes. At the same time, she could not help but blush a bit at her friend's off-hand compliment. What did not help matters was that Yusuke and Kuwabara had looked over at her afterwards, as though they were checking her out. "Uh... Maybe you should just call it out?"

"Like...how?" Rei asked, shuddering at the thought of the fox.

Keri cupped her hands over her mouth and said, "Here foxy, foxy, foxy~"

The two girls, their eyes trained on the chicken surrounded by mousetraps, failed to notice how hard the four boys in the room were trying to keep a straight face. Kurama was rather certain he would never hear the end of this one. He ran a hand over his mouth, covering the lower half of his face while he thought of a way to end this situation. Dealing with Keri, who was obviously being possessed by a demon, was one thing. Her friend...a whole 'nother ball game. The two girls together were too much for him. At least, so long as they continued their little foxhunt.

Rei and Keri exchanged looks when Keri's 'fox-call' failed to bring about the desired result. Rei tapped a finger against the side of her face, looked around the room. Her gaze stopped on Hiei. She blinked twice, narrowed her eyes, then pointed at him. He stared at her in return, his face completely unreadable.

"You...you should guard Keri while I look for this fox."

Kuwabara jumped at that order. "I'll guard her, I'm a man!" he shouted, defensively.

Rei furrowed her brows. "That's...fantastic. However, that guy is the only one in the room I wouldn't mess with even with my knife right here." She patted the utensil as though to reassure herself it was indeed there. "My Keri-kuma needs protection while I look for that vile creature, which will try to steal away that sexy lady right there."

Keri attempted to will herself into invisibility. Normally she did not mind Rei's compliments, however she could not keep her face from going red whenever the eyes of the room were directed at her. Namely when Hiei's eyes were on her. The man seemed so disinterested in all that was going around him, and yet... There was something about him that had butterflies fluttering about in her stomach.

Following several seconds more of debate, it was at last agreed upon that Hiei would watch over Keri while the other four searched the back rooms for any signs of the fox. Yusuke and Kuwabara made a race out of it, the two boys leading the way in a sprint. Rei waited until Hiei moved closer to Keri before she, too, left the room to join the foxhunt. Kurama, after sharing a look with Hiei, also left the room.

A large part of him could not believe he was indulging the behavior of the strange girl. At the same time, he wanted no part in being exorcized by the girl. The sooner they got over this silliness, he reasoned, the sooner they could figure out more about the being who was controlling Keri.

Hiei continued to stand in front of her, hardly moving. Keri found that he quite resembled a statue, a fact that she would never state aloud as she was unsure how he would react. Still, the silence between them felt increasingly awkward. It was similar to standing in a room full of smoke, where you could hardly breathe. She breathed deeply a few times. Exhaling, Keri said softly:

"When you... when you stabbed me, you avoided my vital organs." His eyes flickered to her. She nearly missed the moment his gaze was on her. Nearly, but not quite. "I just, well... You've got to be pretty skilled to be able to do that. Stab someone like you did. I was wondering how you got so well."

After all, she thought, I haven't seen any sort of fighting ring. Also, I've never heard of one around here where you use a sword. Not a real sword, at least.

"Hn." Was her only response. Keri watched Hiei a little longer before allowing her eyes to drop to the floor. If he did not want to talk, she wasn't going to force him. Not that she probably could, she reminded herself. "Training, how else?"

Despite his sarcasm, Keri found that he somehow maintained a semi-monotone attitude. Her lips quirked upwards at this. He was such a strange man, yet did not seem so bad the more she was around him. A bit stand off-ish, sure. Most likely a demon, she remembered. Keri startled at that thought.

"You... you don't happen to be the fox that Rei is searching for, do you?" she asked, her voice cracking in a couple of places. She was doing her best to not sound accusing, and she certainly did not want to offend him.

For the first time Keri was able to see his expression change. No longer was his face neutral. Instead he appeared amused, his lips settled in a smirk. "No."

There was something in the tone of his voice that was unmistakable. Keri was at long last certain there was a fox somewhere in the apartment. Washed free of her previous doubts, she wrapped her arms around herself. There was a lot to take in, this side of life she had never known before the piper's appearance. The piper himself, the ningyofurai, ghosts, and now... Now some sort of mystical fox was in the apartment with them. Yet Hiei did not seemed worried in the least.

"Uh..." She looked over her shoulder towards the hallway. The others were still searching the back rooms. Keri set her sights back on Hiei. "The fox is a...friend?" Again did Hiei appear amused, although this time he seemed to catch himself. The typical neutral expression conquered his face again. Keri threaded her fingers together. "So, you're not a fox. But, you're still...a demon, right?"

She flicked her eyes up the same time Hiei looked over at her. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second before both parties looked away.

"So that's how you're so skilled with your sword," Keri said. "I mean, you don't see any humans handling their weapons with the same amount of ease and finesse as you do yours."

"You humans are sloppy with everything you do," Hiei said. "Humans wield weapons with the finesse of an infant."

That correlates with the time it takes to develop fine motor skills. The older you are and the more time you have to practice with a weapon, to perfect your form... Keri shrugged, not feeling insulted. He was a demon and who knew just how vastly different they were from humans? After a beat, she said:

"Rei's not too bad with a knife. She was handling it quite well during her...uh.. failed exorcism."

"Yes, and you're obviously not completely useless with a gun," Hiei remarked.

Keri was not sure how to take that comment. It certainly was not a compliment. Yet, it was not a scathing insult either. She shifted uncomfortably, careful not to irritate her injuries.

"Well, Rei practices off and on with knives... She likes to watch the cooking channel in her spare time and picks up all sorts of tricks. I... I never held a gun before today, so..." She trailed off, shrugged, and lifted her eyes to stare at Hiei. There was no use being insulted when he obviously thought little of her to begin with. He would just have to get over his prejudice, she decided, if he wanted his opinion to matter that much.

Hiei met her gaze and blinked slowly. It was obvious to Keri that it was not often someone managed to keep up with him in conversations. Not often did people bat away possible insults the way she was. In a way, talking with him was almost like speaking with a child. Self-centered views. Yup, this man sure had an ego. It did not matter how attractive he might be, she was not going to let him bring her down.

"You're rather confident in yourself," Hiei said. He stuffed one hand into a pocket Keri hadn't realized he had. The red-eyed demon continued to watch her over his shoulder.

Keri shrugged in response. "I was scared shitless a few hours ago when... I was shooting at Kuwabara." She had to constantly remind herself that she couldn't even speak about the piper if she tried. It made things rather difficult. "Besides, I think your attitude is more of a defense mechanism. You possibly have trust issues or you just plain don't want people in your business because you're more of a loner. Doesn't matter to me, but I do know that I'm not going to let you upset me with simple words."

That rendered Hiei silent. Keri was absolutely certain no one had ever stuck up to him like that. At least, not a human. She waited for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest, for him to run her through with his sword again. When that did not happen, she willed herself to calm down. It took several seconds for her to control her breathing and get her heart rate down, but she managed.

When Keri laid eyes on Hiei again, she found that he was regarding her carefully. His expression was thoughtful, at least for a moment, before he turned away. Hiei's attention was on the window, or rather, what was beyond on the window. Keri followed his gaze. There could be many things he was staring at, she knew.

She looked beside herself when Rei slunk back into the room and sat down, carefully, next to her. Keri found that her friend appeared deep in thought. After a seconds of silence elapsed, Rei turned to face her.

"I'm not sure if there is a fox here," she said at last. Keri bit back a smile, not wanting to contradict her friend, which would once again spark her irrational fear. "Are you positive it's an actual possession?"

Kurama came back into the room at the tailend of the sentence, although he had heard its entirety. He cocked his head to the side, sat on the chair on opposite them, and inquired as to what she meant.

Rei looked at Keri then at Kurama then once more at Keri. "A full-on possession typically means that a demon has invaded your body."

"Oh!" Kurama said, realizing at once where she was going with this. "If it's not a full-on possession, an exorcism won't work, you mean."

Rei nodded. "Exactly." Even Hiei turned his head slightly to better hear the conversation.

Good to know he's at least somewhat interested in helping me out despite our differences, Keri thought to herself. She thought back for a moment on the entire ordeal. Her eyes widened and her brow shot up. "Well... there was that ningyofurai that bit me. Kurama said it helps with possessions."

Rei nodded, taking in the information. Her eyes ran over Keri's face and the next moment she was removing the seals and crown of paperclips from her friend's head. "These are the wrong sort of seals for this then." She placed her hands together and pressed then against her mouth. For another few seconds she fell deep into thought.

In that time Kurama left the room to fetch the ointment upon seeing Keri wince in pain. It was time for another coating, he informed her. This time, when he returned, he handed the jar to Rei and instructed her on how to apply the ointment. Keri nearly breathed a sigh of relief; it was definitely less awkward for her friend to put on the ointment than any of the males in the room. Rei visibly winced when she saw the injuries. Her face screwed up and she apologized many times as she rubbed the ointment in the way Kurama had explained. Keri shook her head, stating that the ointment helped to keep things numb.

After Rei had completed the task and was screwing the lid back on the container, Keri relaxed against the couch while drifting off into thought. Part of her wondered if the exorcism would have worked had she been possessed in the typical way. A larger portion of her was going over the fine details of her situation. Apparently things were more difficult than she had originally believed.

"Have you ever read anything about a partial possesson like...well, this?" Keri asked, her attention on her friend.

Rei's lips pursed and she set her jaw crookedly for but a moment. Relaxin her features once more, she moved her hands as though they were scales. "Kind of. The book grandfather gave me two years back discussed various kinds of possessions, sure. It outlined how various objects and creatures can be used as a sort of medium to aid in puppeteering one's movements. As for exactly how that works, or what sort of demons do that... I've got nothing." She shook her head, visibly disappointed that she had nothing more to help her friend with.

The front door to the apartment opened at that moment. The gathered individuals turned their attention there, observing Shizuru as she returned.

"The zaniness seems to have calmed down at last," she said. From the tone of her voice, it was easy to deduce that she was quite used to strange behavior. Keri thought about that for a moment. Kuwabara did seem inclined to act on an impulse from time to time, although it was nothing compared to Rei's extreme. At least, she noted, not that she had seen thus far.

Rei blushed lightly at the comment. "Sorry. It's just... I worry a lot about my Keri-kuma."

"I can tell," Shizuru and Kurama said in unison. Keri could only smile; it was nice to have a friend who cared so much for her well-being. Kurma filled Shizuru in on what they had discovered about the possession. She sat down on the other side of Keri, staring at the younger girl. "So the bug bites you and some demon is able to control your movements."

As Keri was nodding, Rei shook her head. "There's got to be more than just that."

Keri instantly recalled the flute and the drum that had been on the Piper's person. Knowing full well she could not voice these facts, she did the next best thing she could. Keri gave Rei a thumb's up. At that same time, Yusuke and Kuwabara had rejoined the group. They were talking about video games, having obviously just finished a quick match between one another.

"I got it!" Rei said, jumping up from her seat. Keri cocked her head to the side. Before she had a chance to ask, her friend continued. "You can't talk about the demon at all... But right now, while Kuwabara's in the room and there's little chance that he/she/it can take control over you, we can play charades to find out the details!"

-1-1-1-1-1-

Next chapter we'll get to the game of charades, the camping trip...and we'll get a glimpse at what Ryuji has been doing this whole time.


	7. Chapter 7

7. Please Drown the Piper Out

The inner workings of a clock consist of tiny mechanics intricately molded together. Every turn tight and binding, forcing the hands on the clock's face to twitch into movement. Ryuji quite rather preferred a pendulum. It swung back and forth, a slow hypnotic dance that ensnared those who observed its sway. He patted his drum in a rhythm befitting of such a device. A low whistle escaped from his pursed lips, the tune hauntingly flowing with the beat. The rodents within the basement found themselves halting in their search for food. They stood upon their hind legs, their eyes drawn to the demon.

The piper, as some know, is contracted by the devil. He is hired to lure lost souls to the depths of hell. Ryuji, serenading the room with skilled tongue and limbs, was no exception. His eyes were glued ahead to the orb around which his serpent had slithered. In its core emerged a distorted image of a silhouette. The whistles that had filled the room stopped abruptly. The mice, released from their trance, resumed their previous scouring and scurrying.

"My liege, they've caught her and soothe her wounds." His voice was velvety smooth as he appealed to his better. Ryuji inclined his head, arms spread out to his side in portrayal of an un-armed martyr. "The ningyofurai is no more, and yet... with _your_ instrument, of course, I could do better."

Within the darkness of the shadow white arose. Fangs were bared as the piper's devil smiled at his subordinate's request. Ryuji straightened himself, threaded his fingers together, and took several steps towards the orb. Each footfall was like a step in a dance, practiced and precise.

"You hired me to kill the boy, and this task will be done soon."

He walked to the corner of the room, past the orb. In it was settled a dusty cloth draped over an object that Ryuji soon unveiled. The viola was propped against the wall, a shiny onyx instrument that was plucked up by the piper. He readied his hand and began to play, his voice soon joining tune.

"The girl I met upon this day was once a free young lass. I took her will and made it mine, to cast to sea my trap. The rhythm of this beating drum has caught up all her limbs. She who now holds the gun will kill upon my whim." His lips twisted upwards into a grin and he continued on. The yoki traveled around the room, its strength astounding compared to his earlier work. It mingled with reiki, thrummed along the figures of ghosts and spirits that drifted carefully away.

-1-

The group was trying to sober up after a laughing fit brought on by their failed attempts to play charades. It seemed as though it was harder to act out certain things revolving around the Piper. What they did know, however, was that instruments were involved. That was all, Keri thought with a sigh. She had managed to tell her parents about the camping trip, to which they agreed under the condition she did not allow it to affect her schooling. That was one thing, her parents knew, that Keri would never allow to happen. Her academics were high on her list of priorities.

Rei had left her bag at the door, complete with two sleeping bags and enough clothes for the two girls, as per Keri's request. She left the room to ensure that it still remained, and to bring them in. It had been agreed upon that they would remain at Yusuke's house. Urameshi Atsuko, Yusuke's mother, had left a message on the answering machine stating that she would be out all night. With her drinking buddies, Yusuke had added whilst shaking his head.

Now that he had recovered from his laughing, Yusuke started to push furniture out of the way to make room for the three girls ot sleep. Kuwabara would be camping out in his room while Kurama would be returning home. Keri did not ask why he was not going to remain behind, figuring that it was none of her business.

Keri stared straight ahead at the wall, a low buzzing in the back of her head. _Oh no, what's happening? I know this sound! It's got me trapped. Can't move around. Will they notice he's got me again, or will I kill them now?_

-1-

From within the orb could Ryuji see the product of his ministrations. He directed the girl towards the kitchen. Her body moved at a slow pace, the previous abuse it had endured apparent despite his great control. "Oh girl, you're mine again, you know. This binding's sure to bruise. No more will you break my hold; it's time to do the deed.

"I'll steer you to the knife drawer, allow your hand to creep. Withdraw the blade without notice,

and slide it up your sleeve."

-1-

Inwardly, Keri balked as she accomplished the tasks the piper had assigned her. With the knife up her sleeve, she was led back to the living room. Yusuke was still moving furniture while Shizuru and Rei discussed how things would be set up. Kuwabara had left to straighten up Yusuke's room, although the reikai tantei denied that his room needed any cleaning to begin with. Even Hiei had scoffed at this from his seat at the window.

_Someone set me free. For with his song I've got the knife. Can't make a sound. Will someone please look at me, and cast me to the ground?_

Despite her inner pleading, no one in the room seemed to take notice. Hiei's attention had been diverted from the group once more by a number of ningyofurai on the other side of the glass. He left without a word to take care of it; the bugs' presence would have gone completely unnoticed had Kurama not caught sight of it as well. He followed after the other demon to aid in exterminating the pests.

Keri was made to walk behind the brown-eyed boy, who hardly took note of her. _Yusuke! Yusuke! Please stop moving things! He will make my knife slice open your throat! Oh! _A large part of her wished she could close her eyes as her hand reached up and withdrew the blade. It was left out of the boy's line of vision. Her legs moved on their own accord-on the piper's wishes-to make her stand behind him.

She leaned over him, the knife drawing upwards quickly to his throat. _Someone! Kill me! I can't bear these deeds! Someone steady the blade right now before I plunge it deep!_

-1-

Ryuji relished in the gasps and screams he heard from the two girls in the room with the detective and his pawn. All the same, he narrowed his eyes in displeasure as the boy caught her wrist. The blade was flush with the flesh of his throat. No doubt it was growing red with the pressure, the blood pooling towards the surface.

"Oh, detective, I'm not done yet! I have got more up my sleeve," he sang slowly, his grin once more returning as he continued to play. The yoki in the room crackled. Ryuji put more power behind his music; power that ultimately tugged at his puppet's strings. "I will appeal to empathy and paint your world red."

-1-

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted, remembering how his friend's presence had previously aided in freeing Keri from the demon's control. The orange-haired male rushed to the room in time to witness Keri twisting her wrist and breaking Yusuke's hold on the knife. She turned it upon herself, the first layer of skin on her neck snapping under the sharpness of the blade. Yusuke swore aloud, "Damn it!"

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Yusuke attempted to think of a way to wrestle the knife from the girl before the demon made her slit her own throat.

_Well, this is better, I suppose. I'd rather kill myself now, than murder all the ones who so hard tried to help._ Tears formed in the corners of her eyes all the same. Keri knew that, deep down, she did not want to die. Definitely not yet, and for certain not like this.

Rei fumbled with her pockets, pulling out a sheet of paper upon which was another seal. Yusuke eyed the slip, snatched it up, and rushed to Keri's side. The blade had already begun to move.

Keri tried to focus on her own thoughts rather than the light sting. _Well now, I am not surprised_

_It came to this. But, why now? When I thought that they had managed to drown the piper out._

Her mouth dropped open, as did Yusuke's as the knife dropped towards his gut. Her hand jerked upwards the same second his slapped the seal atop her forehead.

-1-1-1-1-1-

This chapter is due to my friend having me listen to the song "In All My Dreams I Drown" from The Devil's Carnival. The song the piper is singing, mingled with the italics of Keri's thoughts, are set to the rhytym of that song.


	8. Chapter 8

Tried to get this chapter done a few days ago, but my mind kept drifting back to my DGM fics on Luna. If there are any errors at all, or anythng you think can be improved upon, I am _always_ interested in hearing some good constructive critism!

-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-

8. Reaching for Straws

Silence. Dead silence. A dull throb, the growing pounding in her ears as her heart worked faster to pump blood throughout her body. Keri's eyes fluttered open and closed several times. Her jaw was slack, having fallen open after she had regained control over her body. A number of small, broken syllables escaped her. Yusuke's brown eyes were wide. He remained perfectly still. The knife was still between them, plunged through his shirt and towards his abdomen. He could feel the cool blade's tip poking into his stomach with every breath he took.

"The seal..." Keri gulped, desperate to get more air. She felt rather light-headed, the entire situation seeming surreal. Yusuke nodded in response. He said nothing aloud, but instead allowed his hand to drop from Keri's forehead. The seal stuck to it. He looked over his shoulder at Rei, who instantly jerked to action by digging into her pockets for more.

Kuwabara closed the distance between himself and Rei. He held his hands open for her to place in the correct seals. Yusuke, meanwhile, backed away from Keri a few inches. Her grip on the culinary utensil faltered, and the blade clattered noisily on the ground. Her lips parted as she stared down at the weapon she had almost maimed Yusuke with. In the meantime, Rei had retrieved a number of the seals, instructed Kuwabara to affix them to a chain that could be worn around Keri's neck, and then sat down with her bag.

She pulled out a small pouch, turned her back on the group, and started to work on something none of them could see. Shizuru ignored this fact and instead moved to retrieve the knife from the ground. There was no need to leave it where Keri, should she become possessed again, could reach.

"That happened differently than I thought it would," the elder Kuwabara sibling said, her attention on the blade that was settled between just two fingers. Fixing her grip on the hilt, Shizuru walked to the kitchen and placed the knife by the sink. She turned around, relaxed her back against the edge of the counter, and crossed her arms over her chest. By that time her brother was affixing the seals around Keri's neck. Under Rei's instruction, the seal that had been on her forehead was removed and placed on the chain as well. "I didn't sense anything out of the norm."

Kuwabara furrowed his brow. "Me neither." Yusuke looked visibly worried at this revelation. The Kuwabara siblings were known well for their heightened spiritual awareness.

"It was..." Keri's voice caught in her throat. She swallowed hard, took a moment to breathe, and then tried again. "This time it felt different-stronger." Her eyes widened as the words tumbled out without any alterations. "Sometimes people do crack."

As everyone in the room turned to look at her, Keri buried her face in her hands. _So I still can't talk about the Piper after all._ She sank down onto the couch behind her, the cushion sagging under the weight. Beyond anything, Keri felt frustration and guilt over the entire ordeal. She raised her eyes to look at Yusuke, who was watching her in return.

"Look, I'll figure it out," he declared prior to marching out of the room, headed towards his bedroom. Kuwabara also offered a few words of encouragement to the girl, who could only smile weakly in return. What caused her eyes to widen slightly was the revelation that she wasn't the first one Yusuke had known to try to stab him. Hiei, Kuwabara said, had done that in the past. Keri did not feel any less horrible about her actions-even if she _hadn't_ been in control of herself at the time-but found that her guilt had ebbed somewhat.

Returning from the kitchen into the living room, Shizuru eyed the objects in Rei's hand. "So that seal Yusuke grabbed from you..." Rei looked diagonally at Kuwabara's sister to show she was paying attention. "Why did that one work when the others didn't?"

"Oh. Uhm, well," Rei started, tying off the ends of the bracelet, which was made up of a specific pattern of beads. "The other wards were against possessions. But since those didn't work, and from Keri said... The seal that Yusuke got from me was one frequently used when people hear voices. It's sort of...like a mute button for spirits."

Kuwabara looked downcast. "Whenever I try to use those, they never worked." Keri and Rei both looked at him. "Before I started training, spirits were constantly harassing me. I tried _everything._"

"Hmm." Rei walked over to Keri, tying the bracelet around her friend's wrist while explaining it would further help to strengthen the seals she wore. "Technically speaking, the seals ward away _malicious_ paranormals. At least, that's how my grandfather explained it."

"So if the spirits weren't malicious," Shizuru said, running a hand through her hair, "it'd do nothing to silence them." Rei nodded in response.

Keri, meanwhile, took in this information slowly. With all that had happened in the last hour, she had nearly forgotten that she had caught glimpses of spirits while under the Piper's control. _So Kuwabara more than likely experienced something similar a while back. If he's had some training... I wonder, once this business with the Piper is over... I wonder if I could get training for it as well._

She snapped out of her thoughts when the front door opened, Kurama and Hiei returning from destroying a small number of ningyofurai. The former of the pair took in the shifted positions of the individuals in the room, his eyes winding up on the chain of seals around Keri's neck. Hiei, meanwhile, took note of these things via small glances here and there while keeping a disinterested facade. The two Kuwabara siblings filled them in on what had occured in their absence while Yusuke returned to the room, a object that appeared to be a portable DVD player in his hands. He set it down on the table and opened it, touching a few buttons as the explanation came to an end.

"And the seals worked?" Kurama inquired, his fingers running along the edges of one of the items in question. Keri nodded, part of her calming at the sight of him not having a reaction to the ward. From what she could tell, he seemed nothing but nice, however looks could be deceiving. The fact that he was able to touch the seal when she suspected him of being the fox they had hunted for earlier brought great relief.

Rei crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing. "Are you suggesting my seals _shouldn't_ be able to work?"

Kurama looked genuinely taken aback. "N-no. It's simply rare for humans to make such powerful wards. Normally their power would not have withstood the amount of yoki it took to possess Keri that way. These could be sold for a small fortune."

Keri's eyes widened. Suddenly she was feeling quite impressed by Rei's grandfather, whom she knew to have made the seals in question. Rei shrugged. "Grandfather says such things would be used for tainted purposes, so we don't put these on the market at all."

"A wise man." Kurama then turned to Yusuke, who was staring at the screen as a dial tone played from the speakers. "We're turning to Koenma?"

Yusuke nodded without missing a beat. "I want some answers. I've never heard of a demon who could do this...except for in movies."

"You're really surprised by something as mundane as this?" Hiei asked in his normal condescending manner.

The spirit detective did not receive a chance to respond-whether or not he would have is a question, the answer to which remains unknown-as a toddler wearing a tall, blue hat stamped "Jr." appeared on the screen. Keri and Rei each subconsciously leaned closer to the screen. Their eyes widened when the person of interest waved hello to the group, greeting them verbally by name-save for Keri and Rei, who he noticed were present only a split second later. He quieted, sucked on his pacifier, then lifted his eyes to Yusuke. Both girls winced when Koenma-for that was obviously his name-berated Yusuke for having the two present.

"Even if they do believe they're watching static-"

Keri cut him off before he could continue. "Static?" She met Rei's gaze. "Do you see static?"

"I see a-uh-fuzzy image of a Toddler."

"Really?" Keri knit her eyebrows together. "It's a pretty clear image."

Rei crossed her arms over her chest, squinted, and leaned closer to the screen. "Nope. It's blurry for me."

"Well," Kurama began, "at least we are now aware you two are somewhat spiritually inclined." His eyes ran over Keri's face as the girl looked at him. "It does explain partly why you were chosen to be controlled."

"Controlled?" Everyone in the room once more looked at Koenma, who was shortly filled in on all that had happened over the past day. When explanation was through, he was sitting in his chair and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He sucked on his pacifier. A second later he turned to the side, looking at something off-screen. "Ogre! Get me the book on-"

His voice faded as he jumped off the chair and walked out of view. Keri and Rei took that time to look around at the people they were with. No one looked impressed by the Toddler, who seemed to be in control of Spirit World. At least, that was what the two females had gathered from the brief conversation that had taken place. Yusuke turned his head, looking over his shoulder at Kurama.

"He doesn't know shit, does he?"

Kurama had one elbow resting against a hand, and his chin propped up against his thumb and index finger. "It's not a common occurrence for a demon to use a human when hunting a spirit detective." His gaze flickered to Hiei, who glared at him in return. "That is, besides anything other than bait."

Yusuke waited several seconds more, as though he were expecting Kurama to continue. When there was nothing further than came from the red-head's mouth, the brown-eyed boy said, "So?"

"So the easiest thing for Koenma to do right now is gather books that hold records of such demons. I don't doubt it'll take some time."

Yusuke rested his cheek on his hand, his gaze on Keri. "Yeah, well, we don't seem to have time on our side." His eyes then dropped to the hole in his shirt. A scowl formed with his features.

Kurama nodded in agreement. "I was thinking about that a moment ago." His eyes darted over each person gathered. "We can't disregard the fact that Kuwabara does have some sway over whatever is controlling Keri. Likewise, the seals do seem to have at least a temporary effect." The red-head turned to Rei. "How far is it to your grandfather's shrine?"

Adjusting her glasses, Rei gave a rough estimate. Kurama nodded. "I'll go with Rei so that we can pick up a few more of the seals from her grandfather. He may have other items to aid us for while Koenma does his research."

Yusuke grumbled but said nothing in objection. He waited by the communication device while the two Kuwabara siblings finished moving the living room around for the night's stay. Rei and Kurama headed out the door after a brief discussion on what may be needed. Keri stayed on the couch, her fingers running over the beads on her bracelet. A minute after the two had left, Yusuke rose from his place. With a quick exclamation of how bad he had to urinate, the spirit detective left the room.

Shaking her head, Keri glanced over at Hiei. She held back a startled gasp. "That's the closest I've seen you come to a smile," she said somewhat quietly, not wanting to draw the attention of the Kuwabara siblings; somehow she knew that would irritate the red-eyed man.

Keri half-expected Hiei's face to remedy itself of the amused smirk. He did not. "Hmph. Your vulpophobic friend is allowing the fox to accompany her."

_I knew it! Kurama __**is**__ a fox!_ was her initial thought. Then she swore in her head. _Crap! Son a b-bear, Rei is going to freak if she finds out!_

"Yeah..." Keri winced a bit outwardly then bit back a smile. "Let's _not_ tell her that."

"Tell who what?" Yusuke asked, returning from the bathroom. He sat back in his seat and watched the scream, which was still empty of Koenma. Keri glanced at Hiei then at Yusuke, wondering if everyone in the room knew of Kurama's genetics.

Hiei shifted his attention to the spirit detective. "If the girl's elder is anything like her, the seals may be late in coming."

Yusuke blinked. Then, catching onto what Hiei was referring to, he started laughing. _She is going to kill me,_ Keri thought despite the fact that she could not keep the smile from her face, _if she ever finds out I knew about this._

-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm trying to slowly work in interactions between Keri and Hiei. Feel free to drop a line to tell me what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

9. Of Cooking and Foxes

After a time, upon hearing several stomachs grumble, Keri and Yusuke moved into the kitchen to cook up some food. Kuwabara brought a chair into the area, sitting there in case Keri were possessed again. It was still unknown how long the seals would continue to work, and all present were hoping Kurama and Rei would be able to hurry back. Yusuke and Keri chatted back and forth, deciding what sounded good and would be easy enough to make. In a short amount of time, it was decided that they would make pan seared chicken with Asian dipping sauce and rice.

Yusuke retrieved the frozen ginger from the freezer while Keri grabbed out some chicken that had been defrosted in the refrigerator. They dallied a bit, wanting to give Rei and Kurama some time to return so that everyone could eat together. Keri asked Yusuke more about what a spirit detective was. Smiling, the brown-eyed boy turned to her, leaning against the ledge, and told her of how he had died. Her eyes widened considerably.

_This whole supernatural business is more extreme than I thought. _She ran her fingers along the plastic wrap that sealed the chicken. Yusuke recalled how he had watched everyone gathered at his own wake. He wrinkled his nose when he mentioned two of his least favorite teachers. There was obvious distaste, the way he spoke of them. When he spoke of his mother of seeing his mother at his wake... It was much like listening to a child learn the truth about death, that you didn't come ba... _Well, that's not quite true, is it?_

"She lost it... I mean, she was drunk." He paused, thought about that for a minute and then said, "It was different though. She was crying. I just..."

Keri swallowed thickly. Her throat felt so tight, the room a few degrees hotter than just a moment ago. Her eyes glistened with moisture, although she fought down the urge to cry.

Yusuke put his hands up in front of himself, waving them back and forth rapidly. Her attention snapped to him, to the nervous smile on his lips. He released a small laugh. "Don't get sad. It's fine now. See? I'm alive!"

_Not for long if the Piper gets his way,_ she thought, her stomach rolling. "You're telling me a sad story then telling me not to be sad? That's pretty illogical, y'know?"

He laughed again, scratching his cheek and nodding in agreement. "I guess. Well, we'll just skip to where I came back to life!"

From his chair, Kuwabara shook his head. Together, the two boys spoke of the few trials the darker haired boy had to undertake in order to come back to life. Keri found herself blushing and thinking of Sleeping Beauty when the subject of Keiko giving Yusuke a kiss came. Her mind had just been coming down from the suspense of the pyro who had set Yusuke's house on fire, almost incinerating his body. It seemed the guy didn't catch a break.

Keri slipped her fingers into the plastic, opening a hole and undoing the wrap that kept the chicken in place. _Well, if he can come back from death, maybe Yusuke and his friends really can help me out._ As she threw away the wrap into the trash can, the spirit detective went on to describe his first mission, of his first encounters with both Hiei and Kurama.

-Gan Shrine-

Rei and Kurama walked side-by-side up the stairs that led to the family shrine. The girl adjusted her glasses a few times, the objects prone to slipping. She wrinkled her nose when they did this for a fourth time. Kurama blinked once. He cocked his head to the side, for a brief moment wondering if the glasses needed to be resized. When that this was not so upon closer observation, he said:

"It could be quite beneficial for you to wear contacts."

Rei's head whipped in his direciton. She narrowed her eyes dangerously and said, "What? You think I'm ugly because I have glasses? You think girls with glasses are ugly?"

The red-head held up his hands defensively, stuttering out that this was not so. "It was merely a suggestion. I noticed your glasses slipping a lot, and..."

His voice trailed off as the girl continued to eye him suspciously. A few seconds later he sighed when Rei turned and started walking once more up the steps to the shrine. Kurama followed behind quietly. In less than five minutes the two of them had passed the last step, and Rei went running towards a small garden, beside which crouched an older man. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Grandpa!"

"Oho," the man said, reaching back with one hand to return the hug. He stood, twisting in the girl's arms and rubbing the top of her head. "I thought you were spending the night with Keri."

She pulled away, posing dramatically as she related the events of the night to her grandfather. Kurama shifted awkwardly from one leg to the other as Rei recounted the tale of the fox hunt. Only after that, and after the mention of the seals, did the girl turn around and introduce him to her grandfather. Kurama and Gan-jiisan bowed to one another. Kurama found his green eyes shift to the hand the man had used to pat the top of his granddaughter's head with. The ring and centermost finger were missing, a horrible scar where the stubs should have been.

"Ah," the man said, holding his hand up and twisting it back and forth so that Kurama could get a better view from all sides. "I see you've noticed my battle scars." The dramatic tone of his voice made Kurama think: you could tell where Rei got her theatrics. "Here, let me tell you the story!"

-Urameshi Residence-

As Yusuke grated the frozen ginger root, Keri measured it out. She _loved_ squishing together the pieces as she measured out what was needed for the meal. She packed it into the measuring cup, a wide smile on her face. The cold had a numbing effect on the tips of her fingers. She was used to this, having prepared the dish in the past a number of times. Kuwabara, meanwhile, had moved to assist the two. He was, under Keri's directions, cutting the chicken flat. All the while, Yusuke finished off the tale of how he defeated Rando.

Keri laughed, her stomach hurting slightly. "All by chance. Wow." She shook her head, pausing a moment as the throbbing in her side ebbed. She could still hardly get over the fact that Hiei had used Keiko as bait, or that Kurama had nearly sacrificed his life to save his mother's.

While Keri packed in the last bit of the ginger root into the measuring cup, Yusuke washed his hands in the sink and then brought out the rice cooker and rice. He started measuring out the grains and water before starting it. So long as they worked together, it was likely the food would all be ready within a half hour.

-Gan Shrine-

As Gan-jiisan worked on the seals that would help keep Keri from being possessed, the man recounted the tale of his missing digits to Kurama. Rei was huddled in the corner, pouting somewhat as her grandfather spoke. "When Rei and her brother were little, Rei's older brother, Ryou, tricked little four-year-old Rei into following him into the woods during a camping trip. He didn't know, but there was a kit in the bush he had her hide in.

"It was a good thing I went looking for them when I did. The vixen had come back for her cub. Poor Rei was too terrified of the growling and nipping to move. I grabbed her up just as the vixen went to bite her leg. It had a good grip on my fingers and the back of my hand. By the time the mother let go and went back to her kit, there was a good-sized gash-"

"There was a lot of blood," Rei interjected. Kurama eyed the girl sympathetically.

Gan-jiisan smiled fondly at her. "There wasn't that much, Rei." He turned back to his work, his eyes darting between Kurama and the seals he was creating. "By the time we got to the hospital, a bacteria had managed to make its way into my fingers. The doctors had to remove them later."

-Urameshi Residence-

The aroma of dinner was filling up the entire apartment. Keri, Yusuke, Kuwabara and Shizuru all found their stomachs growling. Yusuke had recounted how he, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama had taken on the Four Saint Beasts. Keri was impressed; to think there had been a demon bug infestation and she hadn't even know about it! _That's why everyone was acting crazy that time... The rise in crime was startling, but I hadn't even thought of..._

She flipped the chicken over so that the opposite side would cook correctly. "You know, if people knew what you _really_ did instead of only hearing about all the rumors that go around, I bet you'd be treated a lot differently."

"Yeah," Yusuke said sighing. "Unfortunately, there's no rest for the weary. And not everyone can handle the truth about what goes on in life. The demons, the end-of-the-world situations that happen everyday." She looked straight at him. Yusuke smiled and shrugged. "Maybe not _every_ day."

Shizuru stretched her arms above her head, rolling her neck from side to side. "Hopefully Kurama and your friend, Rei, get back here soon. Food's almost ready, and I don't feel like waiting."

"Yeah," Keri said, nodding. "Plus... I'll honestly feel a lot better once there are more seals here." She looked at Yusuke, an apologetic expression on her face. "I'm _really_ sorry about-"

He held up a hand, shaking his head. "It's not your fault. Besides, this was an old shirt anyway."

-Gan Residence-

Gan-jiisan gave his granddaughter a tight hug goodbye. The seals were all packed tightly in a bag that was slung over Rei's shoulder. She turned, starting down the stairs. Kurama lingered behind for a moment, bowing once more to Gan-jiisan, who did so in return. He thanked the man for his assistance. Gan-jiisan smiled, and said that he would always be there for Rei's Keri-kuma. As Kurama turned to leave, moving to catch up with Rei, he felt a hand grab his upper arm.

He turned around, confusion on his face as Gan-jiisan's grin widened. "_Don't_ tell her you're a fox. She'll probably cry and try to banish you from this realm."

Kurama smiled nervously and, after a moment, nodded. "Yes, sir." He had believed that the man capable of creating potent seals would have exceptional spiritual awareness. Gan-jiisan's accuracy, however, was something else entirely. Although, Kurama thought, at least a hatred of foxes did not run in the family.

-1-1-1-1-1-1-

And now Rei and Kurama are making their way to the Urameshi residence. Will they make it with the seals before something happens? We shall see next chapter! Hope you all enjoyed this.


	10. Chapter 10

Delving further into Rei's phobia of foxes, and also more on the Piper!

-1-1-1-1-1-1-

10. The First Tune To Play

Kurama and Rei were halfway to the Urameshi residence when the red-head at last decided to strike up a conversation with the girl. The question had been nagging at him ever since Gan-jiisan had finished the tale of his scars. "You have a phobia of foxes because of what happened to your grandfather?" Judging from the 'are you serious?' expression he received in response, he doubted this was so. Rei sighed and told him that it went deeper than that. Then, for the first time, she started talking freely and without any insults.

-Years Ago, the Age of Five-

Rei scuttled along in the park, minding her own business until something caught her eye. She released an audible gasp then took off running. The light-haired five-year old tackled the darker haired girl, who released a yelp as they both fell to the ground. The girl Rei had tackled shuffled out from underneath her, pulling up the stuffed animal kit with her. Rei jumped to her feet, her hands grasping the little cub.

"You needa give it back to the mommy before you get bitted!"

The little girl blinked, startled by the outburst. She wrinkled her nose. "But...but _I'm_ its mommy!"

"What?" Rei blinked, looking around as though she was checking to see if anyone else had heard the nonsense spewing from the girl's lips. She shook her head upon seeing that no one else was paying attention. Grabbing the girl by the hand, Rei started to drag her back towards the park bench she had previously been playing by. Once there, Rei picked up her favorite stuffed bear, turned and offered it to the girl. "Here. You have this. I'll give the fox back to its mommy. Then we won't get bitted!"

"Oh...okay," the darker haired girl said, her eyes transfixed on the cute bow around the bear's neck. She looked back up at Rei, who was returning from placing the stuffed fox into a bush. "What's your name?"

"Gan Rei."

They smiled at one another. The little girl cuddled the bear close to her. "I'm Keri!"

Rei's eyes darted from the bear to the girl. "Keri-kuma!"

-Present Day-

Rei paused in her narration, looking straight at Kurama. "And that's how I met Keri." He smiled awkwardly, not entirely sure how that was important to tale just yet. He imagined it would play a part. It was, admittedly, interesting to know where the nickname had come from. "It happened when I was nine years old, five weeks before my tenth birthday..."

-Five Weeks Before Tenth Birthday-

Rei and Keri were snuggled together in their sleeping bags, lying side by side. In Keri's arms was the stuffed bear Rei had given her upon their first meeting. In Rei's arms was the fox, which she had later retrieved from the bushes when its mommy never came. The small stuffed animal was one of the few foxes Rei was not fearful of. The others she shied away from, opting instead to drag Keri to the bear exhibits whenever they visited the zoo.

On the screen the man moved stealthily behind the door, never once arousing the suspicion of the woman, who would soon be impaled by his blade.

Shortly after the murder, the girls were fast asleep, their heads on their pillows. A shadow fell over them. A light tune started to play, the pattering of a drum. Lips puckered and whistling began. The song brought the girls to their knees. Their feet slipped out, and each girl stood. Their eyes were half-lidded as they walked in the direction of the music. They followed the shadow along, out the door, which they left open.

Keri and Rei made their way to the source of the music, further and further from home. They walked through the back roads and remained unseen by the eyes of any other than the shadow. White glinted in all the shadow's darkness, a mouth twisted upwards into a grin that bared its teeth. The two girls entered the woods by the park at which they had met. They walked past the trees, moving further and further until they reached a clearing. There they sat before a campfire, which was surrounded by four other entities.

A rotound figure swayed back and forth, its hands beating the drums at its hip. The creature bore a slight resemblance to a raccoon, dark circles around its eyes. To its right sat a lizard-like creature. Its eyes darted in all sorts of directions, all four of them. The grinning shadow, whose whistle still echoed in the girls' ears, stood next to a slim, feral looking kistune yokai. The fox ran its tongue over its sharp teeth.

The shadow urged Keri closer, while the fox crawled over to Rei, slinking around her. Saliva dripped onto the ground below as the fox took in the girl's scent. The shadow, meanwhile, took on its form. Flesh seemed to appear where darkness had once been. A humanoid shape gathered, adorned with instruments and a robe. He placed a long, thin finger against his chin as he regarded Keri. His eyes darted to the raccoon-like demon, whose hands slipped from the drums.

Both girls appeared to relax for a moment. Keri groggily took in her surroundings. Rei caught sight of the fox and stiffened. Its grin widened, more drool running out of its mouth. "Now, now, Ginka," the humanoid demon said, his eyes settling on the kitsune. "They're our bargaining chips, not a snack."

"We only need one, just one," Ginka responded, giggling maniacly. He placed a single finger, its nail sharpened to a fine point, on top of Rei's head. "This one is-"

The raccoon-like demon shifted, a snarl forming on its lips. "Don't argue with the Piper. We still owe payment for the services."

Keri looked over her shoulder at the two arguing demons, her gaze switching to her friend. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the fox's nail so close to Rei's scalp. The humanoid demon behind her, the Piper, walked closer to her side. Keri looked up at the man, who was close to double her height. His slitted eyes roamed over the fox and raccoon. The demons sized one another up before lurching forward, their teeth gnashing at one another's throat.

Rei leapt backwards with a yelp, falling onto her bottom. Keri started to move forward, then felt her eyes grow heavy. The Piper's whistling entered her ears. It caused her vision to blur, double, and blur once more. She called at Rei's name as she lost consciousness. Rei whipped her head towards Keri, whom the Piper had scooped up into his arms. The next second her eyes widened, blood splashing onto the ground beside her. She looked back at the fox, who had managed to rip out the raccoon's throat. The kitsune turned its gaze upon her once more. Her bottom lip quivered.

The fox readied itself to pounce on her, moving forward and-the Piper's tune changed. He had retrieved a piccolo, which he played with just a single hand, the other one holding the unconscious Keri. Rei's vision altered for a moment. The fox demon's growl, sounding so close, was the last thing she heard before she, too, fell asleep.

-Present Day-

"It's the only dream Keri and I ever shared. The only time we've ever sleep-walked out of the house," Rei said, shuddering at the memory. "We were both cut up pretty bad when our parents found us. It was like something had gotten its claws on us. Grandfather says foxes give you nightmares and control you when you sleep. It was a fox that gave me and Keri that nightmare, I know it was!"

The two were in front of the apartment, moving towards the stairs. Kurama frowned. "You're certain it was just a dream?"

"If it wasn't, why are Keri and I still alive?" Rei countered.

_Why indeed,_ Kurama thought, although he did not voice this aloud. Then his eyes widened. "A Piper."

Rei shrugged and nodded at the same time. "Yeah, that's what the others called him in the dream. Keri and I both remember that part. The fox tried to eat me. The Piper put Keri and me to sleep-and we both woke up."

Kurama shook his said, although he said nothing more. He quickened his pace up the stairs, and Rei shuffled to follw suit. The two made it to Yusuke's door in under a minute. The red-head opened the door, allowed Rei to enter first, and then walked into the Urameshi residence himself. He heard the ding of the rice cooker just as he entered the kitchen area, Rei following him with all sorts of questions written on her face.

"Rei said you encountered a Piper when you were young," Kurama said, looking straight at Keri, who looked taken aback for a moment.

Rei adjusted her glasses. "I told you, it was a shared dream!"

"Wait..." Keri blinked, her eyes locking with Rei's. Her friend fell silent. "That was real, wasn't it?" _This isn't the first time I've been controlled by a Piper. I had nearly forgotten... I always thought about the fox trying to eat Rei, I had forgotten about the Piper._ "But it didn't... It doesn't make much sense."

"It does if they were bandits bartering souls for information," Hiei said. Rei and Keri jumped at the sound of his voice then turned to look at him. "Hn."

Kurama picked up where the red-eyed demon left off. "If the price was two children souls, they would need both of you. The safest way to ensure that the soul is pure is to have the child present as well. You can tell a souls' quality by looking into the eyes of the living being. A Piper would be perfect for that."

"So...a fox didn't give me a nightmare and control my body," Rei said slowly. She then wrapped her arms around herself. "One tried to eat me..." Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "I _hate_ foxes."

Kurama glanced at the girl as she moved closer to her friend. Keri and Rei stood side-by-side, both girls wrapped in thoughts over the event they had so long believed to have been a dream. "Do you remember what the Piper looked like?"

Rei and Keri shared a look before each girl shook their heads. Kurama frowned in response. Yusuke, noticing this, crossed his arms over his chest. "What's so important about the Piper?"

"A Piper passes on its ability to a successor at the time of death," Kurama said. "That successor inherits the predecessor's voice, as well as the memory of each individual that the predecessor has controlled."

"So?"

Hiei made a small noise, one that showed he believed it was obvious where Kurama was going with this. The red-head, however, remained patient. "A Piper controls individuals with song and music. The victim is unable to speak of anything that would reveal the Piper's identity so long as the Piper is living." He looked meaningfully at Keri. Her eyes widened and her heart leapt. They were figuring it out! "It's a Piper. The one from your past died, which is why the two are able to speak of him. The Piper's successor, however, would know of Keri and also know how to best control her."

Keri furrowed her brow. "Rei and I were able to talk about the Piper when we woke up though."

"Yes," Kurama said, nodding. "Which means he died that night."

Rei and Keri looked at one another. "Again, I ask, how the fuck are we alive?"

-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-

Confused? Don't worry. I plan to slowly tie things together. Such as why the girls are still alive after their first encounter with a Piper. And why Ryuuji is using Keri for his plans to destroy Yusuke. Hope you all liked this!


	11. Chapter 11

Here it is, the birthday chapter for my friend! I hope everyone enjoys! (Sorry for the delay in updating; this one took a bit to get written out after I had the outline done)

-1-1-1-1-1-1-

11. Seven Days of Pause

As the group sat down to eat the dinner Keri, Yusuke and Kuwabara had worked to prepare, the communications device that sat in the middle of the table buzzed with static. This drew the attention of all in the room. They stared at the screen. Koenma stepped back into view. Behind him walked an ogre who carried a small stack of books, which was set atop the desk. The toddler set his finger tips together, his arms resting on the desk. He leaned forward, staring at the group. Before he received a chance to speak, however, Kurama interrupted, relaying what little they had managed to figure out.

He sucked on his pacifier as he listened to the tale of the first Piper that had been in Keri and Rei's life. The two girls told that story, each filling in details here and there. Koenma turned to his ogre when the tale was completed, instructing him to get the books from the last ten years regarding all Pipers. The ogre nodded, turning and leaving to do as he had been instructed.

Koenma sighed, turning back to the spirit detective and his friends. "This makes things more difficult than before."

Keri placed a bite of food in her mouth, chewing as she thought on these words. She had believed for quite some time that if she were able to reveal what was controlling her, things would end quickly. It was most disheartening to find otherwise.

"Pipers are secretive and quite difficult to find if they don't want to be," Koenma said. Kurama nodded, as though he were already well aware of this information. Keri watched the red-head for a moment. She wondered just how old the fox was, and what he had done in his life. Yusuke rested his cheek on the palm of his hand, taking a bite and grumbling about how things were never easy in his line of duty. "They're something similar to a demon version of a Grim Reaper."

"So, like Botan's opposite?" Yusuke asked with his mouth full. Shizuru hummed in thought. Her brother rubbed his chin. No doubt they were imagining a demonic form of Botan, whom Keri had only recently heard about. The dark haired girl tired to imagine what the female Grim Reaper looked like. All she knew was that Botan was a woman, whom Kuwabara had remarked to be very beautiful.

"If these guys are so hard to find," Kuwabara started, "then how do other demons find out about them?"

Kurama turned his attention to the boy. He answered in Koenma's stead: "Pipers use ningyofurai and other creatures to do their bidding many times. If one wants to hire a Piper, you make this known in certain areas in the Makai where one of the Piper's subordinates will hear. The message is then relayed."

Yusuke blinked. Shizuru took out a cigarette, a frown on her lips. "You mean it's likely the Piper already knows about us. Because of the ningyofurai that were here earlier?"

Koenma and Kurama both nodded. Keri felt her heart plummet into her chest. She could see how things were going to be difficult. If the Piper was able to hear of their future moves, of strategies they might formulate, then he would be several steps ahead of them.

"I'll research more on the demons who don't mind using humans to kill a spirit detective," Koenma said, his fingers running along the spine of one of his books. "And delve into information regarding Pipers. Kurama, if you could assist me-"

"Yes," Kurama said, inclining his head. "I'll be there first thing tomorrow morning."

Koenma nodded. "In the mean time, it would be best to keep an eye on Keri. Hiei, if you wouldn't mind..." His voice trailed off. All eyes were on Hiei, who seemed impassive as ever. "Keep close to her. It's only a matter of time before the Piper gathers the materials needed to create a new concoction. Those seals won't be able to keep Keri from being controlled forever."

The face of the fire demon was devoid of any emotion; Keri watched him curiously, wondering what he thought of his orders, but did not say anything aloud. Kurama had turned to the dark-haired girl and drew her out of her thoughts by offering to give her enough ointment to help with her injuries. She thanked him, a look of relief crossing over her features. She did _not_ want to deal with the pain that always arose whenever it was time to reapply the ointment. How she was going to explain away her sudden pain and weakness to her parents, she was not positive. There was also the matter of the seals she would have to wear. On that note, she turned to Rei, who stated that she had been thinking over the same thing.

Throughout the night Keri applied the ointment and discussed with the reikai tantei how to proceed until more information could be gained. Yusuke said that he would call every now and again; for this purpose, Keri gave him her cell phone number. Yusuke gave his home number to her so that she would recognize it. The matter of the seals was brought up once more, and Rei said that she would ask her grandfather if there was a less noticeable manner in which Keri could wear the seals.

By the time two day shad elapsed, Rei's grandfather had managed to make a bracelet to take the place of the seals. The beads were tight against the flesh of Keri's wrist, however the girl did not complain at all. It was a huge relief from having to hide the seals on the inside of her shirt and hope that none fell off. The fact that the seals rubbed against her injuries had led her to wear a second shirt, and thus she had been able to layer the seals on the outside of her inner shirt. She winced her way through gym class, although after Rei insisted, the two excused themselves with the excuse that Keri felt ill and needed to visit the nurse.

A good week transpired with minimal news from Yusuke. The brown-eyed boy was able to tell Keri that Koenma and Kurama had managed to narrow down the identity of the Piper's predecessor to three Pipers. From there, the three new Pipers were likely to be the culprit. Whenever this was brought up, Keri would groan inwardly, wishing more than ever that she could tell them all that she had seen of the Piper.

A number of ningyofurai had been killed by the fire demon whom Koenma had commanded to watch over her. The number of insects dwindled over time, and Keri hoped this meant that the piper was running out of them.

Hiei, Keri learned as she crawled into bed, had taken to remaining in nearby trees at all times. She had nearly had a heart-attack at the sight of two red eyes from the tree out her window. Then, realizing who it was, she had relaxed and shut the curtain. Resting her head against the pillow, she thought over something Rei had whispered to her just that afternoon: _So, this is what it would feel like to have a stalker..._

If she were completely honest, however, Keri found that she felt differently. A stalker would be more apt to want to kidnap, harm, or kill you, whereas Hiei seemed more akin to a guardian angel of sorts-not that she would _ever_ tell him that. It was a huge weight off her shoulders to have someone watching her back.

Later in the night, Keri awoke to the sounds of pattering against her window. She furrowed her brow, turned onto her side, and looked at the glass past her curtain. Water droplets hit the surface. Keri shifted the blankets off of herself then slipped her feet onto the ground. She made her way over to the window and parted the curtain. Squinting, she could just make out the shape of Hiei in the tree. Rain continued to fall, the droplets growing larger. Keri unlocked and opened her window. She leaned out, flinching momentarily as the cool rain first hit her.

"Hey...did you want to come inside?" Keri asked. She looked over her shoulder into her room. "I have a spare pillow and some blankets...my closet floor is clean and... It'd be better than staying out in the rain."

She could see Hiei's gaze shift away from her then return to the window. He looked past her, at the aforementioned location. Hiei leaned forward, slowly blinked, then was nothing more than a flicker. Keri tensed, jumping in shock as she saw him in her peripheral vision; he was right next to her in her room. _Holy crap, I always forget how fast he is._

Keri shut the window again then moved across the room towards her closet. She was thankful that she had worn a tank top with a built-in bra to bed that night. She opened her closet doors quietly, not wanting to wake her parents or have them come into the room to see why she was up. She grabbed one of her spare pillows and blankets that were piled on the high shelf then handed them to Hiei, who stared down at the items that were in his arms. Keri stood there for a few more moments, shifting from one leg to the other then, not knowing what else to do, headed back to bed with a quick 'g'night' to the fire demon. He said nothing in return, however this did not bother the girl, who once more drifted off into a deep sleep.

-1-

Low, electrical hums from the power lines surrounding the building often caused the demon to look up from his work. He would blink lazily then stare straight ahead. From his gaze one could easily deduce that his mind wandered elsewhere. Ryuji's hands would continue their task of disassembling the flute, painting the pieces with a pale-blue liquid that would absorb into the surfaces without a trace, and at last reassembling the instrument. He allowed his thoughts to rove over the terrain of his predecessor's memory, which he had inherited. Faces flashed in his mind's eye; each individual one that his predecessor had manipulated via music. Every time his mind would stop on the face of the girl he currently had lost control over. Ryuji frowned.

_Ginka had lunged towards the light-haired girl. The weight of the unconscious child in his own arms was like lead. The piccolo, however, caused the sleeping girl to stand on her own as he rushed forward, landing a swift kick against the kitsune's throat. The fox growled and coughed, rubbing the injured portion of its body. Ginka's eyes shone pure red for a moment then returned to normal. His lips shifted upwards, face elongated and body altering into his true form. The three-tailed fox stood near five feet high while on all fours. Ginka's blood-red eyes glanced at the two unconscious children. _

_A low rumble that resembled a laugh came from the creature. Through his predecessor's eyes, Ryuji could see himself lower the piccolo. He whistled, picking up the tune, which grew in pitch. The dark-haired girl shifted forward, her feet hardly leaving the ground. Then the light-haired girl joined her. Whistling, he raised the dark-haired girl's hands in front of herself. He applied more yoki to his work, dragging out the child's latent abilities. Reiki surrounded her hands. Ginka, growling as the fox was wont to do, backed a single step. He lowered himself closer to the ground, baring his teeth._

_"You'll destroy your own prize," Ginka growled out, his voice of a mixture of amusement and nerves. "Just to defeat me...or you can hand over the single child. I'm starving~" The final word dragged out._

_"You're mistaken, Ginka," he said, his lips quirking upwards. "I have here both sword and shield." He lowered a hand to his hip, drumming a low beat whilst he licked his lips. He then puckered his moist lips, once more whistling out a song that carried the tune he was drumming out._

The buzzing returned, causing Ryuji to jerk and narrow his eyes. He pressed his lips tightly together and set the flute to the side. Reaching into his robes, Ryuji ran his finger over the piccolo that resided in his inner-pocket. He clicked his tongue against his teeth.

_He made them dance with nothing more than the music he created. The two children moved in unison, the darker-haired girl the lead and the light-haired child the support. The light-haired girl was made to feed the other more reiki, the glow around the child's hands increasing in strength and brightness. He enjoyed more than anything manipulating the two children, fusing together their latent abilities and outlining the wandering spirits where they stood. The orbs took on a more humanoid appearance that had Ginka backing into a corner._

_Threads of reiki attached the girls' fingers together, a web soon forming as each shining spirit, each ghost attached to the children. His song puppetted the girls, who in turn played puppet-master with the ghosts. They grew more and more solid as the reiki left the girls, filling the spirits. Two placed their feet upon the ground. Then a third. Ginka continuously gnashed his teeth in the girl's directions, but Ryuji's predecessor each time made them dance out of the way. The narrow escaped did leave some marks upon the small bodies; scrapes here and there. A few bruises. He was not particularly worried; tools could always be replaced._

_The first ghost, now causing grass to ripple with each step, rushed towards the kitsune, whose eyes widened as the spirit collided into his side. He grunted then leapt from the ghost._

"Your mind is elsewhere," a voice to his right said. Ryuji blinked once but did not turn his gaze to the individual. "Only one ingredient I could not find for you." A gesture towards boxes. "I have another searching for it even now, although I don't believe it should matter. I expect you to be back in business within three days' time."

Ryuji moved over to the boxes, spreading open the flaps and peering inside. He grinned. "Two days should suffice." The smell of rot emitted from the open box. Inside was the decaying head of Ginka. "With the flesh of the one who killed me, I will gain more power over those I possessed in my previous life."

"The two mediums?" Ryuji nodded a single time. "You're going to use the shield to get to the sword, aren't you?"

"The sword is best for ridding the world of the spirit detective. That's what you want, is it not?" A chuckle was his only reply.

_The spirit was destroyed under Ginka's claws. The kistune then turned towards the Piper, rushing forward. He dodged the next attack from a second and third ghost. His teeth sunk into the Piper's shoulder. The Piper grunted out his pain, yanking himself out from the kitsune's bite. Blood dripped down his shoulder. He jumped towards the two girls that were under his control. The tune of his whistle changed; the light-haired girl placed her hands on the wound. Her fingertips glowed with reiki, which caused the bitten flesh to begin to knit together._

_Ginka practically hissed in irritation as the Piper was healed. In this time, however, the dark-haired girl's control over the spirits slipped. They once more turned into orbs._

_"I see why she's a shield...I'll eat her for sure now," Ginka growled out. "Then you'll destroy the other one from the strain her ability puts her through. I'll rip out your throat after breaking your toys!"_

"Stupid fox forgot about how we Pipers reincarnate ourselves," Ryuji said, lifting the head out from the box. "I still have my toys...and you, yourself, are now nothing more than fodder for those toys."

-1-

Keri sat on the couch, a cooling patch on her head. Early in the morning she had found herself makng her to the bathroom in order to vomit. What had brought on the sudden sickness, she was not certain. She wondered briefly if it was infection, then dismissed this; her wound was healing quite nicely and did not have any redness around it. Keri took a lick off her popsicle, allowing her mind to wander towards another possibility. Last night she had had a dream about several spirits, each of which asked her multiple times to help them _feel_. They had always emphasized the final word. All the spirits had reached towards her, grabbing at her where they could. She distinctly recalled one having grabbed at her stomach, his hand passing through her flesh, a mere second before she had woken feeling suddenly nauseous.

_I have seen spirits here and there,_ she reminded herself, _ever since the Piper started manipulating me. Rei said that she hasn't seen any...although we both apparently have some latent spiritual awareness. _

Her gaze shifted over at Hiei, who was quietly sitting on the windowsill beside the couch. Her parents had called in to school to tell them that she was ill before heading off to work. Free to move around the house without any unnecessary questions, the fire demon had remained indoors after finding a ningyofurai had managed to make its way inside when the girl's parents were leaving. When she had grabbed a Gatorade popsicle out of the freezer, she had offered him food as well. After much silence, he had at last retrieved a single-serve tub of ice cream. Keri had handed him a spoon before moving onto the couch. Hiei was slowly eating the treat.

Keri ran her fingers over the bead bracelet Gan-jiisan had made for her. "Do Pipers mostly control individuals with...uhm...spiritual awareness?" She furrowed her brow, wondering for a moment if every person had some degree of spiritual awareness. Keri looked over at Hiei, hoping he knew what she meant.

His red eyes flickered to her briefly then he returned his attention to the ice cream, which he had referred to as 'sweet snow'. "Typically."

Keri nodded, knowing that she was not to receive more than that. All the same, that single word was enough to answer a few questions that were swarming her mind. _So Rei and I both have enough spiritual awareness to see the screen that Koenma is on...although for Rei it was fuzzy. She also is not seeing any ghosts, while I am. However, I was not able to prior to the Piper. And in the past...both Rei and I were controlled by that other Piper. For some reason we survived..._

She seized a portion of the popsicle between her teeth, biting down and chewing on the frozen Gatorade. Swallowing, rested the tip of the ice treat against her lips and narrowed her eyes in thought.

_So the Piper is able to bring out latent abilities within a person. Is mine only seeing ghosts, or something more? And what is Rei's ability?_ Another bite. _Something that would make a Piper control us...although right now he's focusing on me. So what the hell __**is**__ my ability?_

"Maybe my dream had a hint," she said quietly to herself, her mind once more wandering over the spirits' pleas. Red eyes shifted over to her. Keri felt like less than a bug under Hiei's gaze before he again returned his attention to the ice cream. "I don't always talk to myself..."

_Wait...why am I defending myself right now? It's just...he makes me feel like a complete idiot sometimes! And...okay, maybe I __**do**__ talk to myself a good amount of time. But so do a lot of people!_

He scoffed. "As if I care if whether or not you converse with yourself on a regular basis."

Her cheeks reddened. "You...you...sometimes you're just unbearable!"

"Hn."

"Tch." Red eyes left the ice cream, meeting Keri's narrowed gaze. "Ice cream is delicious."

"Your irrelevant comments-"

"Wasn't talking to you. Just voicing my thoughts out loud again," she said, flashing a grin as the fire demon's insults fell dead on his lips. He blinked at her a single time. Keri turned back to her popsicle, taking a bite even though she suddenly had an intense craving for ice cream.

-1-1-1-1-1-1-

Well, now you guys know a little bit more about their past. What exactly is Keri's ability? What is Ryuji planning? Have Koenma and Kurama found out anyhting more on the Piper? And will Hiei stay in Keri's closet? You'll just have to wait and see.


End file.
